Chapter 154: Defense and Counterattack

"The commander of the army shall be appointed by the Parliament. Do you all agree or disagree?"

Chen Mu’s overbearing attitude silenced many present, leaving most with no choice but to nod in agreement.

Though it was said the Parliament would make the appointment, the Parliament was controlled by Chen Mu, which in reality meant the choice belonged to Chen Mu alone.

Yet not a single person dared to voice any objection, for domestic affairs, foreign policy, and military command throughout Rome were now entirely in Chen Mu's hands.

To put it bluntly, these ordinary members of Parliament were nothing more than decorative vases. Expecting a decorative vase to defy the will of its master would be a joke, and they were well aware of their own standing.

Seeing that all the assemblymen agreed, Chen Mu said nothing further. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the session.

Shortly after, Chen Mu reorganized an army of ten thousand soldiers, placing them under the command of officers he personally vetted and trusted. He believed that future Rome would serve as a steadfast rear base for him.

As for their garrison location, Chen Mu stationed them at a crucial strategic stronghold in the west, known as the city-state of Rossi.

Following this, Chen Mu dispatched a contingent of Great Xia warriors northward to establish a fortress at a mountain pass in central Rome. Named the Danube Fortress, it was constructed specifically to defend against the Westerners.

Initially, Chen Mu had intended to employ local Roman engineers for the construction.

However, no sooner had work begun than the Great Xia officers assigned to oversee the project rushed over to report.

"Your Royal Highness, we cannot let the Romans handle this! Their grasp of engineering and technical standards falls far behind our people of Great Xia, yet they are terribly arrogant."

"When our engineers give them directions, they actually refuse to obey."

As these soldiers began to air their grievances, Chen Mu furrowed his brows slightly and replied:

"This was an oversight on my part; I overestimated them. Bringing these people up to our standards will likely take several years."

Consequently, Chen Mu replaced all the Roman engineers and technicians, substituting them entirely with Great Xia's own technical personnel.

As a result, the fortress was completed in the shortest time possible.

Chen Mu went to inspect it in person, praising it inwardly as he looked around.

"This is truly the speed of Great Xia! Only our engineers possess such formidable capability."

In this manner, the operational range of the Westerners was completely restricted by Chen Mu, rendering them practically incapable of posing any significant threat.

Chen Mu then summoned Su Shide.

"Su Shide, can you find any Latins in Rome? I wish to make contact with them."

Su Shide replied respectfully:

"I know many Latins, and they are all exceptionally well-informed."

Chen Mu nodded, thinking to himself that Su Shide was indeed clever; he merely had to hint at a start, and Su Shide already knew what needed to be done.

"I want to use them to gather intelligence regarding the current situation in the north and the Western lands," Chen Mu said indifferently to Su Shide. Though phrased as a casual inquiry, it was effectively an order.

Su Shide answered, "No problem at all. I know several reliable and honest Latins. I will set them in motion right away and have them report back to you with results as soon as possible."

Chen Mu nodded and entrusted Su Shide with full authority over the intelligence-gathering operation.

Over the next few days, Su Shide rounded up and contacted several old acquaintances of his, all of whom were Latins.

He gathered these men inside a military tent to share some wine. After three rounds of drinks, Su Shide signaled for them to stand.

"Brothers, there is a great fortune to be made soon. I wonder if you are interested."

Su Shide swept his gaze over them and said calmly:

"If you handle this matter well, each of you can live like me in the future—becoming nobles in Great Xia, owning hundreds or even thousands of slaves each, alongside hundreds of hectares of land."

Hearing Su Shide put it this way, his friends were deeply moved. One after another, they dropped to their knees and hurriedly declared:

"We beg our eldest brother to show us the way! We, too, wish to live such magnificent lives like yours."

Su Shide laughed heartily, bade them rise, and continued without pause:

"It is very simple. Among the Latins, you are renowned for your exceptional social skills. Go out immediately and make inquiries for me."

"Find out what the situation is like in the Western lands. Whoever brings back the most information, and the most accurate intelligence, will receive the greatest reward from me, and I will personally recommend them to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Hearing that the task was simply this, the Latins agreed without a second thought. As soon as the meal ended, they hurried off to gather intelligence.

Before long, intelligence reports began to trickle in and were collated directly.

The first piece of intelligence concerned the Germanic peoples and the Vikings. Presently, the Germanic tribes had been attacked by the Vikings and had suffered a crushing defeat.

Having lost a portion of their territory, the Germanic people found themselves in a defensive posture.

However, unwilling to accept this fate, their prominent leaders proposed forming an alliance with the Westerners to jointly attack the Vikings.

This meant that a portion of the Westerners' energy and focus had now been entangled by this conflict.

Recognizing this as vital intelligence, Su Shide hastened to report it to Chen Mu.

Hearing of such favorable developments, Chen Mu smiled.

"Splendid! Those Westerners are truly greedy; sending their primary military forces to such distant regions—this is truly heaven granting me an opportunity."

"If I were to attack the Westerners now, they would have no way to organize reinforcements and would undoubtedly be defeated by me."

Chen Mu chuckled softly, then struck the table with his palm.

"As the saying goes, 'He who receives heaven's bounty but does not take it shall incur blame.' It seems the time has come for us to dispatch our troops."

Chen Mu immediately summoned the military officers of Great Xia and the Roman generals.

Spreading out a map, Chen Mu addressed them: "I intend to reduce the troop numbers at the Roman Fortress and the Danube Fortress. I want to concentrate all of them at the Rossi city-state."

"Be mindful of secrecy; the deployment must be carried out quietly at night so that Western spies do not discover it."

A Roman general asked, "Are we about to make a move against the Westerners? Judging by your actions, it appears you are planning a full mobilization."

Chen Mu nodded. "We are indeed striking against the Westerners now. I must resolve this issue once and for all; dragging it out indefinitely is no solution."

"Once the Western army engages the Vikings in battle, we will dispatch our troops and occupy the territory of the Latins."

Knowing Chen Mu's resolute determination, the officers set about making their respective preparations.

Several days later, word arrived that the Western grand army had joined forces with the Germanic tribes and was marching northward.

Chen Mu also led his forces out, comprising five thousand Great Xia musketeers, twenty light artillery pieces, and ten thousand Roman soldiers, marching north from the Rossi city-state to strike directly at the western towns of the Latins.