Augustus Road

"Friendship can only exist between good people." - Cicero, "On Friendship"

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Agrippa was stunned when he heard what his brother said. Unexpectedly, his brother still clearly remembered what he said when he was young.

"For a machinist or an architect, the most important soul is not skill, but responsibility. Yes, Agrippa, your most outstanding advantage is responsibility-then, take these out now, because now What is before you is not the choice of Leo or Turinus, but the gains and losses of the two regions of Epirus and Illyria, as well as the safety of the soldiers of the seven legions. "This is Lucius. With the last words, he walked up to Agrippa and held the commission in front of his eyes.

In the end, Agrippa still couldn't let go of this heavy responsibility, just because his soul was really noble, and he was not a man who spoke for nothing, so he could only slowly accept the letter of appointment from his brother. Next, "Wait until I hold on to the defense line of the Apsus River and the high priest comes here next year, and then decide on my punishment."

Soon, Agrippa, who succeeded to the position of governor and commander-in-chief, visited all the camps on horseback and gathered all the senior centurions. He stood in front of the group and said sincerely, "Our commander-in-chief was dismissed and exiled."

Some centurions had already learned the news from letters home, while others were still in the dark. In any case, when Agrippa said it bluntly, the effect was explosive. Many people were stunned, and many others had expressions on their faces. It's cloudy or sunny. No one knows. Where will the four numbered legions, Seventeen, Eighteen, Forty-two and Forty-three, go in the end? As for the three new legions, people are even more panicked.

"But don't be afraid, we are not sentenced to rebel status now." After saying that, Agrippa and Lucius placed the commission, seal, and the Senate's edict encouraging the war on the table in turn, calling everyone Everyone can see clearly, "Our legion will not be disbanded. But if we fail to fight effectively in the future, it will be difficult to say."

"Also, the high priest's five hundred talents of military supplies, as well as a large number of equipment, grains and meat, will soon be transported here in the winter sea wind. I am his representative, and I can express my gratitude to him. All the centurions and all the soldiers swear that the high priest will never abandon us, and everyone will receive generous rewards and pensions soon." Lucius took a step forward at this time and slapped his chest with one hand. Promise to everyone.

Therefore, the senior centurions did not delay for too long. They soon surrounded Agrippa, expressing their willingness to obey the high priest and his orders, and to thwart Brutus's attack with all their hearts.

Soon, Agrippa, as the new commander, began to officially inspect the winter camp with the cavalry guard and flags. Snowflakes fell in the sky. This was also rare in Epirus and Greece. Many The soldiers put on leggings and boots and stood in line to receive the review. "Severe cold, mortal defense, as well as excellent and strong fortresses and equipment will be the magic weapon to defeat the enemy. Some tribunes may be surprised, because although the city of Bugarotum was previously fortified by His Excellency Caesar, it alone It is impossible for one person to guard the defense line of the Apsus River alone, so we need a larger and more complete barrier system. The winter camp protected by wooden fences and trenches alone is not enough to resist Brutus. Their legions There are more battle-hardened veterans, greater support from the Greek cities, and higher morale. So now to ensure safety, I divide all the armies. My brother Lucius takes four old legions and divides them. The two echelons took turns to resist Brutus' attack on the Apsus River. The first echelon fought in formation, while the second echelon stayed in the winter camp to wait to prevent the enemy from outflanking. Then the three recruit legions we Personally lead the construction of fortifications and bunkers along Bugarotum on both sides of the mountains. Once this project is completed, we can safely guard it until next spring. "

This was Agrippa's strategy, and he kept his word, and soon he was wearing the cloak of a common soldier, and asked all the tribunes and centurions to do the same as him, holding shovels, and began to fight at Buga Rotum first dug trenches, cut down trees, and then used the excavated soil from the trenches together with bricks to build a single-sided wall, and then a double-sided wall, and then set up independent camps at intervals for a group of people. A small cavalry detachment was stationed. After Agrippa arranged the plan and supervision posts, he rushed to the winter camp without stopping, supervising the feeding of the pack horses and the care of the sick and wounded, and constantly talking to the soldiers to comfort and encourage them.

At sunset, Agrippa endured extreme sleepiness and fatigue and rode his horse again to his brother's front line. Seeing that the order was in order and the soldiers' emotions were stable, he felt relieved and dismounted. He almost groped his way to the tent, wrapped himself in a blanket, fell on the ground and fell asleep.

Brutus's army was marching in a long column along the street. To their left were the towering and steep Corinthian sea cliffs. Below were the gray surging seawater and steaming sea fog. Snowflakes were unbridled between the sea and the sky. They danced wildly and plunged into the cold sea water one after another, leaving no trace in an instant. On the right were bare, equally steep hills, with some short trees and dilapidated small temples from time to time. They looked listlessly on them. This army is a mixture of Roman and Greek styles.

Inside the great temple complex at Delphi, Brutus ordered all the troops to stop and allowed soldiers of Greek origin to enter to offer sacrifices. The Aetolians were the most pious among the group. They placed all their horses and armor outside the temple and knelt down densely before the statue of the sun god. Then they got the official Hysynes and the local priests to plead with them. Finally, when the Aetolians marched out, each of them broke off a branch from the laurel and olive trees in front of the temple and put it on their helmets.

"May the god of healing, Polo, bless us to win the battle and reunite with our families, wives and children. "

At the same time, in the Mediterranean city of Rhodes, Cassius sat listlessly on a chair in the tent. He was commanding the only legion, hesitating whether to continue chasing the Rhodians. Now he was in a dilemma. With less than 5,000 troops, it would be difficult to completely defeat the resistance of the Rhodians; but if he did nothing, the Rhodians, who still had a certain number of ships, would definitely do something before Lepidus' main fleet arrived!

But when Cassius learned about the debate at the previous Athenian military meeting, he also laughed dumbly, "Marcus Brutus, you have chosen a dead end, so let me accompany you to the end..." (To be continued..)