Afterwards, the legates ordered the soldiers to remove their armour temporarily, lay down their weapons, sit on the ground to rest, eat some rations, and regain strength.
As soon as they gave the order, the entire two-kilometre-long military formation looked like dominoes as all the soldiers sat down in the blink of an eye, creating a spectacular sight. Still, Amintas and Litom didn't dare be careless, so they had Ledes send all his cavalries to patrol the area to ensure the safety of the army.
The Theonian army on the coast didn't have to wait long. As soon as the sun moved west, the soldiers furthest south in the military formation cheered, “Our fleet! Our fleet is coming!! His Majesty's army is coming!!!…”
In order to carry out this challenging mission of having the soldiers march long and deep behind the enemy lines, the legates had already informed the officers yesterday of the detailed plan and purpose of this operation. The legion officers then told all the soldiers, resulting in their enthusiasm to endure the fatigue and the long march. So when they saw a black warship appear on the distant sea, they immediately thought there must be a vast fleet carrying soldiers behind the Theonian fleet.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
The soldiers' guesses were correct: Theonia's Third Fleet turned their bows and sailed towards the beach, followed by a fleet of ships that covered the sea.
Adoris watch the distant beach while sitting on the ship. Although he couldn't see the fully armed legionaries on the shore clearly, he could see a long black line on the coast that extended to both sides indefinitely, with a slight twinkle of gold in the black line… And Adoris knew that the thing shining was the military flag.
On the transport ship, the captain ordered the helmsman to adjust the course while fifty soldiers sat on either side, helping the sailors row together. In the middle of the ship, platoon leader Timanthes loudly emphasised the various things the soldiers had to do after landing.
After speaking, he stressed with a serious expression, “Do you remember what I said?!”
“We remember!!” The soldiers responded simultaneously.
Timanthes immediately looked at Adoris, who said loudly, “Don't worry, platoon leader, I remember everything!” Adoris' buttocks still ached as he remembered the punishment he had received, which had almost caused him to miss the battle in the north. Thus how would he dare to disobey orders and violate the military code again?
With the help of the tide, the ship moved swiftly, so it didn't take long for Adoris to get a clear view of the soldiers on the shore. Most soldiers were sitting or lying on the ground, with their armour off and wearing only chitons. They were drinking water and eating rations while looking out to sea, with a few others waving their arms and shouting excitedly towards the water.
Adoris watched in a daze when he suddenly heard Timanthes shout, “Prepare to go ashore!”
Hearing that, Adoris and his comrades suddenly became excited. They quickly picked up their belongings from the ground, donned their armour, fastened their swords, grabbed their rations, and took their long shields, javelins, and spears while the ship as it approached the white beach. Then once the ship shook as its smooth hull brushed the shore, the helmsman quickly locked the rudder and pulled out a long pole, plunging it into the sand to prevent the ship from moving backwards.
Without even needing to give orders, the soldiers jumped off the ship, stepped into the cool seawater, and soon walked ashore. Then platoon leader Timanthes quickly gathered the soldiers together before leading them to the other platoons…
Transport ships began to fill the beach with Theonian legion soldiers in black helmets and armour. They also started to erect flags, and officers led their soldiers to search for their own centuriae and brigade. Even though excited soldiers filled the beach, it didn't appear chaotic because the soldiers transported by this wave of docked ships belonged to the Second Legion. After all, apart from the First Legion, the Second Legion was better trained and disciplined than all other legions of Theonia, and it’s why Davos allowed the ships carrying the Second Legion to go ahead and complete the landing first. They would assemble as soon as possible and clear obstacles for the subsequent troops.
Afterwards, the docked ships would leave the beach to make room for the subsequent fleet to dock.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Less than four hundred metres from the beach, the various legates, such as Amintas, Litom, Ledes and Kurcius, watched the army's landing. At first, they were scattered and disorganised, then gathered into a small column, then into nine large columns, and finally, at the sound of the salpinx, these columns from different parts of the beach quickly gathered into a large phalanx formation.
Finally, Amintas and the others breathed a sigh of relief because even with their experience and troops lined up to protect the landing, it was the first time they would conduct such a massive landing operation. Moreover, King Davos had personally led this army, so in case of any accidents…everyone felt under pressure, and now everything seemed to be going well.
“Matonis has done a wonderful job!” Amintas praised, and only senior legates like him, who had participated in expeditions to Persia, dared publicly evaluate someone of the same rank.
Suddenly, mounted scouts came over, “Reporting to the legates, we have sighted a Roman army of about seven thousand men marching in this direction, three kilometres to the south!”
“Reporting to the legates, nearly eight thousand Roman troops are approaching from four kilometres southeast!”
“The Romans had finally come!” Litom said, his tone full of excitement.
“They came just in time!” Amintas glanced at the second wave of ships approaching the coast and said, “Notify our brothers immediately and prepare to fight!”
With the sound of the salpinx, the resting soldiers, under the officers’ supervision, quickly began to don their armour. On the other hand, the Second Legion, lining up on the beach, quickened their pace after hearing the salpinx…
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
After receiving the report from his mounted scouts, Paulus felt extremely uneasy. His sense of responsibility immediately led him to lead seven thousand five hundred soldiers northward. After more than two hours of rapid marching, he slowed the army's pace once they arrived at Lavinium because the enemy cavalry drove away his mounted scout earlier near this area, meaning that Theonia's army was just a short distance away. At the same time, he was also waiting for the troops from Satricum and Velitrae to arrive.
This time, the Theonian cavalry were no longer in their way, allowing the Roman army to march smoothly. Riding at the head of the column, Paulus could already see hundreds of ships floating on the sea, some moving with the tide towards the shore, others leaving the shore and rowing towards the open sea. Because of that, densely packed ships completely cover the blue sea…
Paulus became even more anxious again when the mounted scouts quickly returned, “Reporting to the general, the enemy has formed up two kilometres away, with no less than twenty thousand men!”
Hearing the report, Paulus was taken aback because there weren't so many people in the Theonian army in Volsci before, ‘Have some of their soldiers already disembarked and joined their formation?!’
When Paulus thought of this, he became even more anxious and regretted his delay. However, he did not dare to lead his army of less than ten thousand into an immediate attack. Instead, he ordered the troops to halt their advance and fall into formation.
Soon after, the army of Satricum arrived, led by Maegius Sempronius Asellio, an experienced veteran general over fifty years of age. He was born into the patrician family of gens Sempronia and had stayed behind to defend Mons Capitolinus when the Celts occupied Rome. Due to his abundant war experience and persistent personality, the Senate appointed him as the garrison general of Satricum.
At this moment, he, who had always remained calm, struggled to control the galloping horse in front of Paulus and asked urgently, “Where is the Theonian army?! How many men have they sent?!”
Paulus pointed ahead and said, “The Theonians are making a massive landing on the coast ahead while their troops in Volsci have arranged themselves in a formation to protect their landing. According to the scouts' report, they have about twenty thousand men, and as we all know, their reinforcements in Volsci didn't even exceed ten thousand. So…”
Maegius stared at the Theonian fleet in the distance. His face became gloomy as he said, “Even if we combine our forces, we still have less than twenty thousand. And the more time passes, the more Theonian soldiers will come ashore. But if we risk engaging them in battle, if we fail… the army that could contain the Theonians on the west side of Rome will be greatly weakened, making the situation even worse…”
“That's what I think as well.” Paulus also looked worried. Then, he hesitantly reminded, “But… if we let the Theonians succeed in landing, they would then be able to invade our territories and those of our Latin allies here, tormenting our people and even threatening Rome… and the Senate and our people might not forgive us!”
Maegius was momentarily taken aback, then sighed, “Let's wait for Pantheus to arrive and discuss this together… When I led my army from Satricum earlier, I received word from his messenger that he would be arriving later with ten thousand soldiers.”
“Ten thousand soldiers?! He is too daring! What if the Volscians attack Velitrae?!” This alarmed Paulus, but after a moment's thought: Velitrae was deep inland, northeast of Satricum. Not everyone has the courage of Camillus, who dared to bypass Antium and Satricum to attack Velitrae. Besides, the Theonian army is here, while most of the Volscians have gone to help the Hernicans, so they don't have any spare troops to attack the Roman cities.
