Augustus Road

Habaruka next to him had a sad face and pulled Lepidah's reins, "Dear master, this army is your investment, why did you hand it over to that skinny officer?"

"This is an army, not a shopping mall. It's not just about money. Habaruka, you don't have to worry. Maybe in the winter camp in three months, I will have a subordinate army that is more powerful and elite than the Thirteenth Army." Lepida sighed. He took a deep breath, and although his words sounded majestic, he was still feeling uneasy in his heart.

"Let's march towards the Italian city of Jiacheng first." Lepidus ordered weakly. Fortunately, Apis finally remembered his former comrades and gave him more than a hundred mules and horses captured by the barbarians in the battle across the river. , the treasury also allocated 30% to him. The leading trumpeter and flag bearer, these two types of soldiers are often poor in peacetime, so they assumed this kind of military position that does not require equipment. After discussing it, they began to play the local music of Sardinia, a kind of It was a warm and sentimental melody. Lepidus was marching in the procession in this melancholy. He asked about the name of this music, and the answer he got was "Thyme", a plant abundant in Sardinia.

Thyme can be used as a cheap spice, can repel mosquitoes, can be eaten, can be used medicinally, and can dispel cold. Isn't this snake oil-like crop similar to my current position in the Governor's Palace in far Spain?

Well, if I get my wish and really recruit an entire auxiliary army, then the nickname of this army will be "Thyme"!

The journey to Italy was very safe, as it was only half a day's journey, so there was no chance of any accidents happening. After negotiating with the city's sentry, Lepidus led hundreds of people into this small city, preparing to take a short rest. , I went to the Vitoni Mountains. I heard that there was no peace there. Many tribes followed the Lusitanians to cause trouble, and there were small groups of bandits running around everywhere.

This city can barely be regarded as a settlement. It has Celtic-style wooden walls and gates built with rivets. In between are large wooden houses with sloping roofs of the same style. There are smoke from cooking or fireworks from hammering equipment, because there are most people inside. The building is a blacksmith shop. The steel forged in the Iberian Peninsula is famous in the Mediterranean. The local barbarians are much more advanced than the civilized city-states in this regard. As if they had received a primitive oracle, they learned to half-bury the iron in the soil. After a period of time, take it out and forge it to obtain an extremely sharp blade.

The residents were not indifferent to Lepidus' auxiliary troops who lined up. In the two months before here, they had seen soldiers and horses coming and going. They knew that Lepidus' next step was to go to the Curia venue in the center of the city, and The city elders discussed the details of the settlement and supplies.

When Lepidus pushed open the bronze door of the Curia venue, he found that it was empty. Only a few slaves with nameplates were warming themselves around the brazier, drinking beeswax and chatting. There were hay, writing boards, clay pots, etc. scattered around. It seems that after Caesar left, the Curia elders here suddenly felt that they were ready to go to the south. The whole city was filled with a relaxed atmosphere. Lepidus was a little angry, "Isn't there nothing here to serve this war?" Are you human?"

The slave replied tremblingly that the bosses were either going to their own farms to deal with the grain storage, or they were going to the warm Sagantan and the Luccao Bay of New Carthage to spend time in the east.

At this moment, a serious voice sounded from the corner of the room, "My name is Sabo Kaimus, and I still work in this Curria." Lepida looked along the light from the window, the young man Sabo Kaimus The man was in his early twenties, with short hair that was as neat and serious as his tone. He was slender but strong. He was covered in a simple but clean robe. He held a pen with a hook in his hand and said, "Sir, sir, I am working on the accounts of His Excellency the Governor's logistics."

Lepidus was very curious as to how meticulous this young man could be under such circumstances. He nodded approvingly and then asked: "Are you from Rome?"

"I am from Aquiria, a famous seaport city that obtained citizenship, but I immigrated here with my father when I was very young. My father was a low-level clerk in this city during his lifetime. After his death, I took over his job. I want to work You can't really hold public office until you are thirty," Sabokemus continued to answer logically.

"Are you familiar with the customs and customs of Vitoni?" Lepidus took out the gold-plated baton he received in Ponticabion, took out a few utensils, placed them on the table, and motioned to the young man who was a few years younger than him. Situation map.

"Vitonia is located east of Lusitania, between rivers and mountains, and is connected to the far Spanish territory with the city of Osir as the hub. The local tribes are extremely drunken and barbaric. They sometimes abide by Gracchi law, sometimes Violation, plundering Osir in groups, there are several roads to get there..." Sabokemus still spoke in a very organized manner, making Lepidah nod frequently, and then took out a money bag, which contained Fifty dinars, "I heard that among the coins in circulation here, Celtic gold coins are more popular, but I'm from Rome, so don't worry about it. I'm very interested in you, maybe you should Give up this boring scribe job and become my guide, and I will give you this amount every other market day."

Sabokemus opened the purse, looked at it, and then said: "Can I advance your reward for a year?"

"Because Mr. Julius and I only have one year left in our terms?"

"No, my family life is relatively tight after I lost my father. I really want a Celtic bench covered with blankets and cushions for my mother to sit on in her spare time, but it's expensive."

Lepidus felt that there was no reason to refuse the request of this serious young man. He snapped his fingers at Habaluka next to him and said that he would advance 3,000 dinars or 2,000 great drachmas to this man and asked him to come to the barracks to take the oath tomorrow.

Just as Habaluka was heartbroken, Lepidus walked out of the Curia and gathered the soldiers in front of the venue. He was now short of experienced non-commissioned officers, and even Pope was asked to leave. He had to do many things himself, but these auxiliary soldiers were in good spirits. They had just been released in Sardinia (the master sold them to Lepidus in exchange for more money than the market). When Lepidus saw them, he recalled the scene of his first battle in the snowstorm in Lycdania: he was afraid of swords, arrows and crossbows, and he also wanted to change his status by establishing merit.

The equipment of his subordinates was very poor, but it didn't matter. He still had some assets in the treasury and was ready to order a large number of Celtic Latni curve-style long swords and oval shields in the city to equip them - as long as my army can maintain its strong character and quality, I will not be stingy with the money to equip them. (To be continued.)