Augustus Road

"I like treachery in the enemy's camp, but I hate treachery." - Julius Caesar

————————————————————————————

"Launch!" Hitius personally stationed his horse in front of the scattered light infantry, waved his sword and shouted the instructions. All the skirmishers of Hitius' party rushed out in twos and threes from the smoke and dust stirred up in advance, facing the oncoming enemy. The incoming enemy cavalry threw a dense barrage of flying stones and crossbow arrows, causing the enemy to flip over and the front line of attack began to become chaotic. Then, without waiting for a breath, the rest of the Hittius cavalry also rushed out bravely with short spears and slashing swords. , after a counterattack, the enemy's cavalry could only retreat a furlong like a tide due to the lack of cover and cooperation of light infantry.

"Retract." Under this command, the Hitius party quickly reorganized their formation, with their backs against the hills, and they were densely packed.

After two consecutive raids were thwarted, the wave of Rabinus cavalry who attacked from the south did not dare to trouble Hitius anymore. They quickly divided into two teams, the front team was responsible for monitoring Hitius's party. The cavalry, the rear team turned around and rushed to intercept the envoy Celeste who was about to approach.

At this moment, there was only one flag officer, several retinues and dozens of armed cavalry left beside Celeste. The large group of enemy cavalry behind him were still chasing after him. Celeste was frightened and hurriedly moved his troops. The flag was abandoned, and then the main brusher's cloak was cut off and thrown down, but his current situation was "locked" - at this time, a large number of intercepting riders appeared in front of him. In an instant, Celeste thought of the topic "I'm going to die in battle." It was already the third moment in the afternoon. The small camp he built behind him was already ablaze. Most of his cavalry fled. The infantry who had no time to run also disappeared in the smoke and dust. It seemed that most of them were hacked and slaughtered by the enemy's cavalry. When the defenders in Suyato City saw this tragic scene, they simply lost the courage to come out to respond. .

Everything was over, and Celeste now felt regretful: since he already knew that Rabinus's cavalry had been greatly strengthened, why should he take a chance and think that he only sent a small number of cavalry to Suiato? Cavalry? It seemed that Labienus had already laid out a plan to encircle and annihilate him. Therefore, the cavalry under Suyato's city were just bait to lure him into being fooled, while his main cavalry ambush unnoticed on the north and south sides of the city, completely massacring his infantry and looting his camp - no. , and now he wants to take his life.

All of this is a momentary greed, eight million sestes' private wealth. Thinking of this, Celeste couldn't help but feel annoyed, why here? Why in Numidia? Be it Rabinus or Lepidus. They are all so abominable, I spent two million sesterces in bribes. He just hopes to get a job here safely for two years, and then return to Rome after making enough money, and then use bribery and election methods to move up the official rank one level, become a consul, and then start working towards the consulship. , "But this damn war, damn it! Let the weak have no chance of survival."

Spears and arrows continued to pour into his surroundings like rain, and his followers were injured intermittently, groaning and falling from their horses. Smoke and neighing cut off his vision and hearing. Celeste could only instinctively follow the instructions in advance. He groped for the direction and ran towards Hitius' position.

However, Hitius was determined to retreat. "It will be sunset soon, and what the barbarians in the desert are best at is using a mixture of infantry and cavalry to fight at night. If nothing else, they will attack after nightfall." The offensive intensified."

"But the envoy is still far in front of us and is surrounded by a large group of enemy cavalry. Should we send a cavalry wing to try our best to rescue him?" The token officer beside Hitius asked uneasily.

"To save him is to risk one's own death. The surveillance cavalry left by the enemy are staring at us. If we are not cautious at all now, the Hitius party will be the next to suffer disaster." The monarch of the fourth quarter of Kilta sighed. He said, then he waved his hand, indicating that the envoy would inevitably die, "Our army also shoulders the responsibility of defending Wagga City and maintaining the entire war situation for the high priest. The entire army will retreat along the mountains immediately!"

Following this order, trumpets sounded one after another. The Hittius party left one third of the cavalry in the rearguard position. Then they divided into small groups of thirty or fifty cavalry, separated, and the remaining cavalry formed columns. , quickly moved forward in the direction of Wagga City. When they were ten stadia away, the rear cavalry rushed over and became the vanguard. They alternated cover in this way. When the mountains were gone and the front was all flat, Hitti Us shouted loudly, and all the cavalry endured their thirst and fatigue, without looking back, and rushed towards the town in one go.

But the envoy Celeste and his entire legion were buried in the desert. Among them, the envoy's body was found lying only a thousand feet away from the previous formation of the Hittius party. He no longer had his flag, armor or cloak, and all the things that symbolized his identity had been thrown away. Even the beautifully carved breastplate was thrown away because he found it too heavy. He was so desperate to escape that his body was only covered with scars. Wearing an underwear and a sweatshirt, he was lying on the ground slightly sideways. His body was covered with sand, and his eyebrows and hair were blurred. Several Mauritanian cavalry were surrounding his body, not allowing anyone else to get close, and preparing to receive a high sum of money. bounty.

The city of Suarto also surrendered in despair. Rabinus led the guards into the city early the next morning. He brought the soldiers with fifty elders, most of whom were Italian immigrants, and then adopted "ten With the penalty of "drawing one", five of them were executed, their heads were hung on the city wall, and then the city's treasury was opened, which contained four million sesterces of public funds, as well as the private treasures of the envoys, Rabinnu Si gathered them all and distributed them to the soldiers who had made meritorious service. Then his subordinates brought Celeste's body in front of him. Rabinus looked at it and said, "He is a failed general. The tragedy of a successful historian lies in the misplacement of his role and his greed for money." Then, Rabinus groped for his body, but he didn't find a coin, so he shook his head and took it out of his purse. He took out a dinar and put it on the lips of the fallen historian, "Send his body to the city of Waqa and exchange it for his wife Lenchart. By the way, it will lower the morale of the defenders. All the remaining infantry and cavalry soldiers , follow me to that place, I want to take Waga before the main force of Lepidah arrives!"

Under the scorching sun, Rabinus mobilized four legions and surrounded the city of Wagga. Then about two thousand corpses, bloody and naked, were thrown under the city head, row by row, like Like dead fish washed up on the beach.

"Your legions have all been annihilated. The soldiers were either killed or captured. All the equipment and baggage were lost. Even the envoys were killed. Therefore, I am willing to ask you to surrender as soon as possible out of compassion." Standing in Xin. Rabinus, who was building the siege city on the slope, ordered his followers to raise their spears holding green olive branches to the towers of the city and shouted. (To be continued...)

!!