Augustus Road

"I am a citizen of Rome. The young people of Rome will continue to challenge you. After I die, there will be people who will continue to follow my mission!" - Ancient Roman youth Mutius assassinated the Etrunian king Bosenna After failure, make an impassioned speech

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There were over a thousand people in the two villages and towns, plus a large part of them were old, weak, women and children, and they also had a lot of luggage. Suddenly something happened on a peaceful winter day, and they were forced to walk towards the mountain pass leading to Widoni in the vast snowy wilderness. There is no need to describe the hardship of trekking. But Lepidus' ala cavalry was skillfully divided into three wings. The two wings skillfully held the reins and led the mounts to trot in the snow to follow the target, followed by the packhorse loaded with javelins. One wing increased the speed and galloped to the target. The horses were circling to the left, right or in front, and Gu Lengzi threw one or two javelins. The women and children were so frightened that they screamed and fell on the snow and did not dare to move forward. The men scolded and beat them but remained indifferent. The Ala cavalry had received strict orders in advance. , and were never allowed to dismount and pick up the baggage abandoned by the opponent on the snow. When the tribesmen also rode to drive them away, they would throw away the remaining javelins, either turn their horses away, or pull out their swords and turn around to fight, while the remaining two wings He quickened his pace and came to meet them, going around and over again, blocking and harassing them. Soon, some people in the opponent's team continued to fall behind, and those who did not fall behind were also exhausted.

Lepidus, on the other hand, left some skirmishers behind, accepted the leadership of Sabocaimus, and guarded the plundered proceeds in Assa City. He took his elite slave soldiers, about thirty or fifty horsemen, and pursued them with flags. The rest of the infantry put on their sheepskin cloaks again and lined up behind the treasurer. The shouts of the infantry and cavalry were shaking the sky. Many people also started to light torches and quickly followed Lepidus' horse.

Finally, at dusk, a cold yellow light reflected in the snow, and exhausted tribal people were sitting everywhere, as well as household items and belongings everywhere. Many families hugged each other and cried and begged for mercy. The Roman infantry passing by among these people just threw the rope into their hands and asked them to tie themselves up and stay there to wait for the verdict - people, especially women , unable to abandon their whining children, and could only cruelly tie their relatives to themselves.

The ala cavalry began to circle and harass, in order to overtake in parallel. Their horses moved forward indomitably, running tirelessly. The white air exhaled by the men and horses entangled together, forming a cloud of mist. In the distance, it looked like clouds and sleet. The three wings were in Sabo early in the morning. The high slopes of the designated pass were combined into one, and then he dismounted, took out his javelin, and formed a horizontal line, completely blocking the escape route of Octelabo and Elisana.

Seeing that the pass had been blocked, the crowds of the two tribes could only stay there in despair. Soon, several envoys wearing wolf skins and holding olive branches came to Lepidus' horse, which was coming in the opposite direction. This time they They were lying on the snow, with their spears and swords being used to keep them at a safe distance from Lepidah's men. Amidst the angry shouts and jeers of the soldiers, they begged Lepidah for forgiveness, expressing that the two tribes were willing to hand over the villages and towns they had settled in. out and move elsewhere.

"Don't think that Iberian barbarians can also tell wonderful jokes. Aren't your villages and towns now under my control? Ask your elders to come and talk to me!" When the elders of the tribe let their hair down and shook their heads, Lifting his body, he came to the half circle surrounded by Lepidus and the horses of his followers. The black eyes under the helmet of the Roman treasurer were colder than the cold wind in winter.

"Now let me grant you peace, hand over all weapons and twenty hostages of noble origin, and then within one day tomorrow, demolish the walls and towers of Octelabo and Elisana, and build the ruins of Asa Use these materials to build a camp for our army to use. Also, hand over all your clothes, belongings, food and charcoal. Then you don't need to move elsewhere. You must return to the original settlement. Leave, anyone."

"In this case, the winter storm god will kill us automatically!" An elder who knew Latin shouted to Lebid with a mixture of terror and anger.

Li Bida shook off the snow on his cloak with his riding crop, "It doesn't matter, I will leave some supplies to your tribe, enough for you to survive the cold winter - or in other words, most people survive the cold winter, this batch of supplies will not be small, but It won’t be too much, and it will never be so much that you have the energy to do unnecessary things. Finally, in three days, I will send an envoy to Widunni to tell the Sinclair tribe what happened here, and tell them that your tribe is here. I, the Roman quaestor, Aemilius Cornelius Lepidus, have permanently denied you the right of asylum of the tribe of Sinclair."

The humiliating peace was accepted. The next day, the men and women of the two tribes, under the supervision of whips and swords, returned to their settlements. In accordance with Lepidah's request, they began to demolish the walls and towers of the city and transport them to Asa. , where Lepidus' men began to build a small camp very skillfully. "Little Hortensius!" Lepidus, who was monitoring all this from a distance, shouted.

Young Hortenhusius immediately rode forward and saluted, "I will give you a hundred men immediately, and take half of the hostages. They will be stationed in this small camp." Lepidus pointed there with his baton and recounted the order, "Remember , I will send a scout team out every day, and I will return to Chimera to wait for your news, the news of the arrival of the Sinclair people."

"Sir, what if I can't hold myself any longer and go out to fight before you come?"

"So I only give you a hundred-man team so that you can't go out of the city to form an array." Lepidus then led his followers and rumbled down Gaofu on horseback, escorting a large amount of goods plundered from three border towns. , headed towards the winter camp of Chimera.

Sure enough, the arrogant tone of the pretended envoy sent by Lepidus completely angered Sinclair, the largest tribe in the eastern Vitoni. At the beginning of Caesar's expedition, this tribe had always had an unruly attitude, swinging between Lusitania and Rome, for no other reason than that it had two thousand tribal warriors and twelve vassal tribes like Asa. settlement.

When the messenger announced that the Romans had officially begun to attack the three towns of Asa, Octelabo and Elisania (the messenger did not say that these three towns had been crushed by Lepidus), and threatened them to surrender to the Roman city of Osir , when he no longer contributed loyalty and wealth to the Sinclairs, the Sinclair chief Mucuas was completely angry. He roared: "Don't I know that two legions of the Romans, under the leadership of Caesar, went to Lucita Fighting in the southern part of Niya? How many people can you have at the Osir border? Since you want to fight, then fight with us like a warrior to the end!"

About one market day later, Chimera received news that the Sinclair people on the other side of the mountain pass, a total of about 1,500 soldiers, led by the chief himself, braved the severe cold in winter and approached the outpost camp. (To be continued.)