Chapter 768: Dispute in the Roman Senate

"It's always correct to be cautious for Rome's safety! Now, most of our Roman citizens were drawn out to attack the Hernicans with only three thousand young soldiers left to defend Rome, which is not enough!" Ambustus interjected, raised his concerns and took the initiative to offer a proposal, "Thus, I propose to mobilise all citizens over fifty years of age immediately. We should also arm those plebeians and freemen in Mons Aventinus(referring to the famous slums of Rome at this time) to jointly defend Rome until Camillus return with his large army! And once the meeting ends, I will immediately go to Cassius, the Praetorian Prefect, and complete this task together."

Although many senators expressed doubts about Theonia attacking the city of Rome immediately, they agreed to the proposal for safety's sake. Some even suggested they directly send messengers to contact the surrounding Latin allies and ask them to send citizens to help defend Rome.

However, there were still those who expressed their opposition, 'With most of the citizens of the Latin allies having joined in attacking the Hernicans with Camillus, where would they get extra soldiers to help them defend Rome? On the contrary, they might ask for our aid once they learned of the Theonians' invasion of Latium!'

Thus they ultimately didn't implement that proposal.

Apuleius exclaimed, "According to the last war report, some time had passed since Camillus led his army to attack Ferentinum, and he should already be at the critical moment. If he were to withdraw now, all his previous efforts would have been in vain."

Many sighed with reluctance when they heard this. After all, just as they were about to defeat the Hernicans and this land would belong to Rome, they would have to give it up.

Apuleius, someone against Camillus, seized the opportunity to speak up and complained, "Fellow senators, Camillus led an unprecedented army of seventy thousand soldiers as the dictator of Rome. Although he consumed vast amounts of food daily, he still failed to capture the city of Ferentinum or even eliminate the strength of the Hernicans, which put Rome in a dangerous situation. Therefore, we must hold him accountable! Rather than withdrawing the army, we should urge him to capture Ferentinum within two days and quickly return to Rome so as not to waste the supplies we provided to the army. If Camillus fails to do so, we must consider whether to punish him once we repel the Theonians."

Some senators have a change of mind after hearing Apuleius' words.

But his words made Potitus furious. Because once Apuleius' proposal was approved, it meant that the Senate would lay aside his own proposal of having Camillus return with his army as soon as possible. Thus he angrily accused Apuleius, "You are putting Rome in danger!"

Despite Potitus' high prestige, Apuleius, who finally managed to seize an opportunity to accuse Camillus, was reluctant to give up. Thus he retorted loudly, "According to Ambustus' proposal, we would be able to organise nearly ten thousand defenders tomorrow. And I have never heard of any force that can forcibly capture a city in one day with such a sufficient number of defenders, let alone the city of Rome, which can accommodate more than a hundred thousand people. So we must be confident that we can hold on until Camillus returns with his army!

Besides, that's just your hunch, My Lord. On the contrary, there is a greater chance that the Theonians won't come to attack Rome immediately because they would have to take significant risks. But for such a slight chance, you want us to throw away our hard-won opportunity to eliminate the Hernicans and gain new colonies? This is not a wise course of action, nor would it be good for Rome.

With the Theonian army's invasion of Latium, the other races that hate Rome will inevitably jump against us again. And only by destroying the Hernicans and severely weakening the Volscians first could we concentrate on dealing with our greatest enemy - Theonia!"

Apuleius' reasonable words made Potitus unable to retort.

Maluginensis, also sitting in an ivory chair, finally spoke up, "Apuleius is right. Urging Camillus to destroy the Hernicans as soon as possible would benefit us in our war against the Theonians!"

Apuleius' proposal already convinced many senators, and the support of Maluginensis further hardened their resolve. After all, Maluginensis was also a senator with great prestige and age similar to that of Potitus and had served as consul several times(still less than Potitus). The only stain in his political career was when he didn't defend Mons Capitolinus when the Celts sacked the city of Rome and had to retreat earlier. Thus, he kept a low profile in the Senate after they had rebuilt Rome. However, this didn't mean that he was less influential. After all, his full name was Publius Cornelius Maluginensis, and he was the highest representative of the mighty Roman clan of Cornelius in the Senate.

But despite Potitus, Ambustus and some senators' opposition, the Senate chose to pass Apuleius' proposal. Thus they urged Camillus to capture Ferentinum within three days and then return to rescue Rome.

Potitus glared at Apuleius, who was showing a proud smile, knowing that his concern for Rome was merely a pretence for personal vendetta. Because whether Camillus captured the city of Ferentinum within the time limit or not, his situation wouldn't be good. If he accomplished his task, but the enemy attacked Rome, the people would resent his inability as the dictator to protect Rome and accuse him in the citizen assembly after the war ended. But if he defied the Senate's order and returned in time to rescue Rome, he would instead offend the senators who were eager to expand Rome and obtain more benefits.

'Damn Apuleius!' Potitus could only say aloud, "Now that we have made up our minds, let us immediately send a messenger to inform Camillus of the approaching Theonian army so that he may step up his attack and take the city of Ferentinum as soon as possible."

Although that's what he said, Potitus understood that Camillus would likely refuse to attack Ferentinum and return to Rome with his army if he knew the city was under attack. Especially since Camillus had the authority to overrule Senate resolutions as the dictator and act according to his own judgment, he could have even designated a senator to represent him in Rome during his campaign, giving him complete control over all matters in the city. However, the modest, cautious and power-loathing Camillus gave up this right, leading to the current situation.

Apuleius, however, could tell Potitus' intentions. Thus, he responded, "Let us not forget that Camillus is the dictator. During his reign, the proposals we make are only suggestions to him. So if he is unwilling to listen, there is nothing we can do... I, therefore, propose that the Senate appoint a special envoy to rush to the camp at Ferentinum, first to tell Camillus of the proposal we have adopted and then, once the siege is over, to tell him of the Theonian invasion. To this end, we should block the gates of Rome and forbid anyone to leave..."

"YOU ARE CRAZY! YOU ARE VIOLATING THE LAWS OF ROME! YOU ARE DEFYING THE DICTATOR OF ROME! Cough...cough..." Potitus coughed incessantly in his anger, his body unstable even with the cane and prompted the senator next to him to help him.

Maluginensis advised as if he was concerned, "Don't get agitated too much, old friend. Apuleius only does this so Camillus can concentrate on his task without distraction. He is also doing it for the greater good of Rome, even at the risk of Camillus punishing him."

"Yes, that's right! I think Apuleius' proposal has some merits!..." With Maluginensis' support, several senators expressed their backing for Apuleius one after the other. The reason for their boldness was self-evident: Although Camillus used his wit and bravery when dealing with enemies, he was gentle and friendly towards the Romans and even the senators. During his three years as dictator, he spent most of his time fighting foreign wars, so he entrusted the senators the right to stabilise the city-state. Not only did he refrain from overstretching his authority, but he also did not punish the senators, including Apuleius, who had defamed his reputation. Even today, the person responsible for his expulsion from Rome remains unharmed and still holds a position in the Senate. That is why these senators had no reason to be afraid.

Seeing that even senior senators such as Lucretius expressed support for Apuleius' new proposal, Potitus could only slump back in his seat, closing his eyes and simply didn't bother anymore.

Sure enough, the messenger chosen by the senators was the City Guard's Prefect - Milesius, whose full name was Milesius Cornelius Scipio, and who belonged to the same clan as Maluginensis, indicating to whom he would be listening.

Potitus only snorted after hearing this result.

The place fell into a brief silence after they finished their election. Ambustus then requested the war mobilisation of the city of Rome and received approval. At the same time, Apuleius also left the Senate Hall to inform Milesius to carry out the Senate's decision.

The other senators remained in the Senate Hall and even began ordering their household slaves to bring them dinner, apparently prepared to continue the discussion into the night. They would need to discuss: Had the Theonians landed? Had Paulus and the army he led fought the enemy? Do the Theonians intend to take Ostia?... All of these need confirmation, so they have to wait for more news to arrive from the west coast.