Augustus Road

The greatest weakness in war is the belly of the soldiers.

——Latin proverb

Demetrius was lucky. When the legions left the ruined Amisus two days later, he was able to resist after all because of the hot water scrubbing and eating hot food, even if it was just barley porridge. , now on the stretcher, he is more concerned about whether his appearance is damaged.

Lepidus secretly borrowed ten drachmas from Poti and hired two other camp slaves to carry Demetrius. The Jewish slave was obviously full of gratitude: "You are a righteous man. You will be rewarded by me."

And Adiana never had the chance to see Luculus, because the centurions of Hebrida had been kept in the camp and were not allowed to enter the city, and their slaves also enjoyed the same treatment.

According to the soldiers, Luculas shed tears after entering Amisus. He confessed to his generals: "I used to envy Sulla's good luck. Today my envy is even stronger, because Sulla "He once protected Athens from the disaster of war." The general called together the surviving citizens, gave them funds to resettle and buy houses, and encouraged them to call their relatives and friends who were still alive to rebuild the great seaport of Amisus. .

After about three days, the chaos in Amisus ended. The satisfied legionnaires slowly calmed down, exited the city wall, and returned to the camp.

Next, Luculas's military operations continued smoothly, with various detachments attacking the city and territory. Soon even Sinope, the capital of the Pontic Kingdom, surrendered - Mithridates VI arranged to stay here. Eight thousand Silesian mercenaries, most of whom were pirates, had no intention of defending the city. Pressed by only five brigades of Roman soldiers, they set fire to the city and fled by boat - but this time the Roman soldiers , did not sack Sinope again, because their greed was satisfied in Amysus, which seemed to make Luculas a little relieved.

After all the bases of Mithridates on the southern shore of the Black Sea were changed, Luculas sent the young military tribune Apis to the capital of Armenia, Ataxeta, to ask the Armenian king Tegranis. His father-in-law, Mithridates VI, was handed over and is now taking shelter somewhere in Armenia.

Apis' journey was long and arduous. He had to pass through dense forests, steep mountains, and saltwater lakes, and then arrived at Ataxeta, the capital of Armenia, surrounded by towering mountains. This is a huge white fortress with both political and military significance, and its designer happened to be Hannibal, the mortal enemy of the Romans a hundred years ago. At that time, the Lion of Carthage was taking refuge in Asia and tried his best to persuade Armenia King Atachnes used the city of Carthage as a template to build a capital city that could control all directions, copying the "City of Carthage" from the sea to the mountains.

When the Armenian nobles questioned the decision of the king and Hannibal, they asked, "Those Latins are so far away from us, why did they waste time and effort building this city to guard against such illusory enemies?" Hannibal Replied: "Yes, they are far away from you now, but only now, they will definitely come to Asia. They will come to this land and conquer this land at a speed you can't imagine. In order to avoid a hundred years After losing the fate of becoming a minister, we must be prepared for it now."

A hundred years later, the Armenians almost forgot Hannibal's warning. They enjoyed the convenience that this castle brought to their military career - 50,000 elite infantry and cavalry relied on it to go out to fight. Tegranis conquered countless The surrounding kingdoms and barbarians also imitated the Persian royal family and called themselves the "King of Kings".

Now, Tegranis, who was very proud, began to feel that this mountain city was nestled in a remote place and could not reflect the superiority and luxury of the King of Kings, so he forced it on the plain in front of the Taurus Mountains. Countless craftsmen and civilians built a large, flat Greek-style city, preparing to serve as the new capital in the future. The name of the capital was also named after him, called Tegresetta. (Seta means city, meaning "the city of Tegranis")

Although it is late autumn now, Tegreseta is immersed in carnival. Officials, civilians and even slaves, no less than 20,000 people, all poured into the large racecourse built on the foot of the mountain. There are bronze reflectors at the four corners of the track as markers for racers to turn. There were mountains and seas of spectators. The poor sat on temporary mats or stools, the rich were guarded by slaves, and the whole family sat under small tables and parasols. The terraces of the buildings around the racecourse were the most popular in the city. A place where powerful people, such as city magistrates, governors or royal families, have the authority to stand and watch.

With the sound of gongs and drums, the audience roared and cheered, setting off a wave of waves. Six outstanding racing drivers were racing fast, and then turned sharply in circles. As the six golden dolphins from the referee's office fell one after another, there were constantly racing cars. Being crashed and dismembered during a sharp turn. Whenever this bloody scene suddenly appears, it will arouse even more screams, curses and laughter from the audience, because no matter they are poor or rich, they will win in this kind of event. Bet your fortune on your luck.

On a terrace with a grape vine trellis to the south, a burly man with an unusually large stature and an unusually thick beard sat on an ivory armchair, hitting the railing with his hands in displeasure and looking down with his head lowered. race, it was clear that the racers he sponsored were at a disadvantage.

The slaves and retinues around him, all wearing gorgeous silk shorts, constantly presented the big man with golden cups and plates filled with fruits and fine wine. Suddenly, there was a loud noise on the racecourse. It was in the last lap, the final of the two carriages. The giant man followed the noise very angrily, threw the gold plate to the ground, and then stood up, "Faol Compared to this poor jockey, who deceived me, my horses, my precious racing car, and several of my most beautiful female slaves - what he did just now, he had better fall to death on the spot, Otherwise, his life will be worse than death tomorrow." When the giant man got angry, the fat all over his body shook rhythmically.

Amidst the roar of cheers, on the opposite terrace, a rich man smiled brightly and raised his glass provocatively to greet the giant man in this direction.

"Who is this guy?" The giant man asked, squinting his eyes and staring at the man. An old man next to him, who was obviously the captain of the guard, shrugged and replied: "Who knows, anyway, he is the sponsor of the champion horseman." Soon, a slave who recognized the other man came forward and whispered Two sentences. The giant man clapped his hands and said: "Come here, please give me a plate of hazelnuts to Mr. Arcius from Sardis on the terrace opposite, to convey my respect to him and congratulate him on his success." The jockey took the lead in this final.”

Then, surrounded by slaves and swordsmen, the giant man held the arm of a gorgeously dressed woman beside him, went downstairs, boarded a sedan with a peacock feather cloak and umbrella, and slowly walked Leaving the bustling racecourse.

"Brother, it seems that you are not in a good mood." The gorgeous woman sat closely with the giant man and stroked his beard.

"Damn Faobi, damn it! Maybe my mood will not get better all day long." The giant man muttered.

At this time, screams were heard from the terrace to the north of the racecourse. The Sardis rich man named Arcius, with a livid face and foaming at the mouth, was lying on the ground convulsing under the gaze of the bewildered servants. Twitching, hazelnuts rolled everywhere on the ground, and he died soon after.

On the leaving sedan chair, the giant man heard the voice and smiled. He also stroked the beautiful woman's chestnut hair and said, "However, I feel a little better now."

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