Fifteen Roman warships docked one after another, and the soldiers disembarked in a stream, quickly setting up defenses along the coastline. Landing battles are always one of the most challenging forms of combat.
These Roman warships were flat-bottomed, making them less stable at sea but highly convenient for landing. In emergencies, they could charge directly onto the beach, firing arrows from the high deck, then throwing spears, and finally engaging in close combat.
As there were no defenders at the pier, the soldiers were able to disembark smoothly. The commander of the fleet was Joseph, his face grim, constantly chewing on a salty piece of wood, his nervousness evident.
"Commander," a guard reported, "no enemies were found at the pier."
"Didn't the merchants say there were many enemies?" Joseph questioned.
"Perhaps they have already withdrawn." The guard replied.
"How could enemies suddenly appear." Joseph continued, "Maintain battle formation and proceed to the Governor's Mansion."
The Roman soldiers, holding their shields, cautiously advanced along the road. When they finally reached the Governor's Mansion, they suddenly saw a large group of people rushing towards them, causing them to shrink their battle lines and prepare to throw spears.
"I am the Governor!" Goliath ran at the front, "I am Goliath! You've finally arrived!"
The Roman soldiers recognized Goliath, the Governor of Andros Island, followed by the island's nobles and wealthy individuals, none of them carrying weapons. Nevertheless, the Roman soldiers did not lower their shields, only their spears.
"Halt, stop! Squat down by the side of the road and don't move!" The centurion at the front commanded.
Goliath roared in fury, "I am the Governor! Don't you recognize me!"
Although military law was merciless, Joseph thought there was no need to antagonize Goliath, as the Goliath family had a complex network of relationships in the Senate.
"Bring the Governor here." Joseph ordered.
The guards stepped forward, through the ranks of soldiers, and brought Goliath to Joseph's side.
"You're finally back, why did it take so long? Shouldn't you have returned yesterday?" Goliath asked.
"The sea was rough, how could we be so precise." Joseph responded calmly.
He noticed that Goliath seemed to be uninjured, but his clothes were wrinkled and he reeked of sweat.
"While you were away, Dionysus Linley attacked Andros Island and seized all the ships at the civilian pier." Goliath said.
This was consistent with the information Joseph had received. There were many ships at the pier at the time, and seeing so many people charging from afar, the repaired ships immediately fled. Some of these fleeing ships encountered the Roman fleet along the way, and Joseph thus obtained relevant information.
"Has the God of Wine changed?" Joseph asked.
"I believe so, the original Dionysus should be dead." Goliath answered.
"Is this Roman news?" Joseph asked.
"Didn't you go to Rome?" Goliath questioned.
"There were too many things on this trip, I didn't have time to gossip." Joseph said.
Actually, it wasn't a matter of not having time to gossip, but rather that Joseph lacked connections. He had spent his whole life in the army, but had never been recognized for his efforts, and was sent to Andros Island as a naval commander, trapped on this Greek island, unable to make connections with high-ranking officials.
Although Joseph had arrived in Rome, he didn't have many friends or relatives here who could provide inside information. He was aware of the major events: the Holy See had become the state religion, the Pantheon had been captured, and the Olympian gods had been driven out. However, he knew very little about the details of each god.
In the navy, Joseph's relationship with his colleagues was mostly professional, and they didn't get close in private. Dionysus wasn't an important deity, so Joseph knew little about him.
Goliath told him, "Dionysus, was badly injured by an archangel's sword while protecting the other Olympian gods as they escaped. The archangel said he wouldn't live long and would probably die back in Greece. Before he died, he passed on his power to Linley."
Joseph couldn't help but feel envious of this insider information. If he had relatives in the senate, he wouldn't be just a naval commander on this small island. He could go to Europe to fight the Gauls and Germans, or even fight in Asia Minor and Persia, become a legion commander, and even be an Augustus.
"Shh, you should say false god," Joseph reminded Goliath, trying to hide his envy.
Goliath dismissed it, saying, "It's all the same. Those things, whether you call them Zeus, Jupiter, or the father of all gods, false god, it's still the same thing."
"What happened next?" Joseph continued to ask.
Goliath explained that Dionysus was very powerful. He brought many barbarians from the north, each one tall and muscular, wielding a double-handed sword. They stormed from the docks to the governor's mansion. Goliath quickly organized a resistance, but there were too many of them. There were at least hundreds, maybe thousands, or even several thousand.
As Goliath spoke more and more exaggeratedly, Joseph knew in his heart that the actual number was probably in the hundreds.
Goliath continued, "We had to retreat, all the way to the church in the city, calling for reinforcements. The nobles in the city were all hiding in their houses, unwilling to come out and help."
Goliath went on, "There were thousands of slaves in the church, all gathered from the island nobles by Bishop Robert. When I retreated to the church, I freed all the slaves, gave them citizenship, and had them help defend the church."
Joseph nodded in approval. This was a good move, instantly gaining thousands of fighting men. Although these slaves could only be considered ordinary soldiers, the barbarians weren't good at sieges either. The church was originally the temple of Zeus, and the building was sturdy, making it perfect for use as a fortress.
Goliath explained that the barbarians attacked several times, but they were repelled. They turned to looting the city. Bishop Robert said he couldn't let them do that. No matter how much Goliath tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen, and insisted on going out to fight Dionysus.
Joseph was speechless.
Goliath said, "He took the priests and slaves with him, and they were surrounded by barbarians. With nowhere to escape, Bishop Robert called upon an angel to protect him. Even so, the angel was surrounded and fell to the barbarians. Seeing that the situation was dire, I retreated immediately."