"Your Majesty." Ansitanos, who had not spoken up before, was the first to say at this time: "The order established by the kingdom in central Italy is not very stable, and the Etruscan alliance is the largest force allied with us, and it has been friendly to us in recent years, they are in trouble, of course we should lend a hand to help."

Moreover, the Gauls have always been a nightmare for all the powers in central Italy, and their threat to the central region is increasing day by day, and we Dionia, as the allies of the entire central region, inevitably confront the Gauls, and are the main force trusted by other powers.

Now the northern part of the Etruscan alliance is very weak, if we have to wait until the Gauls invade the south before sending troops to rescue, I am afraid that by the time the army gathers, most of the Etruscan territory has already fallen, and then not only will the kingdom be resented by the Etruscans, but it will also reduce the trust of other forces in us, and it will also seriously affect our construction in the territory of Latinum, so that our military operations will not be so smooth.

And now the Etruscan League has volunteered to provide such good conditions that we can help them keep the Gauls out of the mountains, stifle their attempts to invade the south in advance, and ensure the security of the center. And the possibility of obtaining more land, fully integrating the Etruscans into the kingdom's protective circle, and accelerating the kingdom's influence on them, is a good thing that kills several birds with one stone, and we should not refuse! ”

"Lord Ansitanos, we understand what you say." Rafias, the Minister of Civil Registry, objected: "But you should also understand that the Etruscans gave us part of their land in the hope that our people who would live there in the future would be able to fight against the Gauls together with them, but there would be constant attacks by the Gauls, and there would be a danger of losing their lives at any time, and what citizen would want to move there?" ”

"What about the pre-citizens and the registered freemen?" Ansitanos asked seriously.

Rafias shook his head and said, "Since the end of the last war, it is well known that there is still a lot of spare land in the entire kingdom that has not been allocated. Instead of giving priority to the land in our country, we would not only be unfair but would also seriously damage the credibility of the kingdom and affect the migration that we have been carrying out for a long time, and which we are about to become new citizens who have accumulated enough merit to go to Etruscan to face the terrible Gauls. ”

When Rafias finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the palace.

After a while, the Inspector Zesta spoke: "Why don't we send an army to attack the territory of the Gauls directly, completely conquer the Gauls, and solve this big problem at once?" ”

Archibides, the treasurer, immediately exclaimed: "Now the treasury is strained, and there is not enough gold and silver to support a big war." ”

Alexis continued: "According to the information now obtained, most of the northern part of Italy is basically occupied by the Gauls, because there is a long river in its territory, its terrain is flat, and the soil is fertile, so that the Gauls are half-cultivated and half-pastoral, and it is said that it is because of the large population that they want to go south to occupy more land."

And to the north of these Gauls were the rolling mountains, and to the north of the mountains there were many more Gauls...... If our army crosses the Etruscan region and marches north, it will inevitably lead to a protracted war. Now that the kingdom has just recovered from the last war, it is not suitable to start another big war in the short term. ”

"Since the northern Etruscan region is in danger, there is no need for us to build towns on the land they have allocated to us, we can build a military fortress like the Turiyi military camp, which can be smaller, and then send legionnaires to guard it in turn, like the fortress of the La River." In addition to the question of construction, the Minister of Construction, Heraclid, who rarely spoke in other fields, made a rare suggestion because several alterations to the Turiyi barracks were designed by him and were completed under his personal supervision. He believed that such a military fortress, which combined military defense, town facilities, and daily labor, could play a greater role on the Etruscan border.

"Lord Heraclid's proposal to build a military fortress in northern Etruscan is indeed a good idea." Alexis first complimented Heraclits, and then said cautiously: "However, it is debatable to send legionnaires there to take turns on duty...... The fortress of La River is located in the heart of the kingdom, there is no danger, there are not many soldiers sent to guard, the rotation time is also very short, and the supply of military rations is also very convenient, and the military department uses it as a necessary experience before the regimental reserve soldiers can become regular, so the citizens have no objection to this. But with the legionnaires on duty on the northern border of Etrunia, the situation is completely different-"

Alexis cleared his throat and said in a slow voice, "First of all, the number of soldiers to be garrisoned by each military fortress built on the Etruscan border must not be a small number. Because they will face the fierce Gauls, the soldiers have to hold the fortress and repel the small Gallic forces that have attacked the Etruscan territory, and at the same time take into account that in case of a sudden southward invasion by the Gauls, the weak Etruscan army cannot be relied on, and they are far away from the kingdom and cannot get immediate strong support, they must hold on to the defense for at least half a month before waiting for the arrival of the kingdom's army, so the strength of each fortress must not be less than 1,000 people, in order to ensure safety.

The border between Etruscan and the Gauls is very long, I am afraid that it will take 3~5 such military fortresses to play the role of defending against Gallic attacks, which means that we must send at least 3000-5000 legionnaires, which is 3/5 of the number of legions, which is not a small number, and the military rations and materials consumed are not a small amount, even if the Etruscans agree to provide material assistance free of charge, but in the long run, whether they can hold on is a question. If we provide it ourselves, it will pay more, because we also have to count the cost of the journey......

Secondly, it is impossible to rotate the reinforcements to Etruscan frequently, because our army is stationed in the northern part of Etruscan, where both the opponent and the environment are completely unfamiliar to our army, and it is necessary to familiarize ourselves with an unfamiliar battlefield environment, understand the situation of the enemy, understand the situation of friendly forces, and let the soldiers adapt to the battlefield life there...... and so on all aspects of it takes a long time, and only when the generals and soldiers are familiar with it, they can fully exert their combat effectiveness, otherwise the frequent rotation of troops, the soldiers are not familiar with the surrounding environment, or even unfamiliar, then in the battle may increase casualties, and even cause defeat, which is strictly prohibited by the "Dionian Military Law"! ”

Alexis said this and glanced at Davers.

Davers put his chin on his hand and nodded slightly.

Alexis continued with an unchanged expression: "Therefore, the time required for our army to be stationed there cannot be too short, at least half a year. And keeping the soldiers in an unfamiliar place for so long would inevitably lead to low morale as even the nearest Fourteenth Legionnaire (i.e., the regiment formed a few years earlier, with a military camp near Rome and from the Latin region and parts of southern Etruscan, mainly Kesrela and Viai) who had been stationed in an unfamiliar place with constant fighting.

Moreover, these soldiers were the main labor of the family, tending the fields, grazing cattle and sheep, or doing other work to support the family, and the kingdom allowed them to serve for a long time, and although they may be given some reward, they were unable to fulfill their other rights and duties as citizens of Dionia, and I am afraid that they and their families would complain—"

"During the Western Mediterranean War, the soldiers fought abroad for more than a year, and I think their performance is not very good, and there are no complaints." Antaoris said disapprehantly.

"That's because His Majesty personally leads the army, and he always pays attention to adjusting the war-weariness of the soldiers." Alexis did not say this to compliment Davers, but explained with a serious expression: "After the fierce battle between our army and Rome, His Majesty held several competitions and banquets to enliven the atmosphere of the barracks. When they went south to Sicily to fight the Carthaginians, the main army avoided a head-on confrontation with them, mainly training, repairing and defending in camps and cities, and was motivated by the great honor of defeating Carthage, the original overlord of the Western Mediterranean, so they were able to hold out until the end.

But if they were allowed to go to the northern border of Etruscan, the commanders of the various fortresses would not have great prestige and charisma, so that the morale of the soldiers would be kept high, and we would be able to recognize the importance of helping the Etruscan alliance to maintain the security of the kingdom, but the soldiers would probably not think so deeply, on the contrary, they would think that it was pointless to fight for a long time for a force that had little to do with them, and that they would not have any desire to fight. ”

Speaking of this, he coughed and said in an accentuated tone: "What's more, as long as we are not ready to conquer the Gauls in the north, then helping the Etruscan alliance and defending the northern border may be a long-term task, a year, two, three years...... In the long run, I am afraid that the soldiers of the various legions of Dionya will complain, and even refuse to obey the order and go to Etruria......"

Alexis made such a serious statement that it caused a commotion among those around him.