Augustus Road

The message of fatherhood should be love, not violence - Hadrian's Codex says

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While Adiana and Calabis, a pair of "Calabis" who had shared the same fate, were busy arguing in the Temple of Diana in Sophini, the new capital of the Armenian plain, Tegre, two thousand stadia away, Seta also looked menacing. Since the war between the King of Kings and the Romans, as Queen Otepili said at the time - various nomadic peoples from Mesopotamia, Syria, Arabia and even the other side of the Red Sea have traveled thousands of miles to go to this place. The city came to assemble, ready to answer the call of the King of Kings and fight the Roman legions to the death.

Tegreseta, originally a civilized city inhabited by Greeks and Asia Minor, suddenly became a world of barbarians. These people drank and made trouble all day long, trampled the market into pasture, and turned the racecourse into hunting. They would only show off to each other how brave they were, and openly fight with swords on the street over trivial conflicts, causing countless bloodshed every day. event.

After the defeat of Sophini, Tegranis, who had lost Missaro and Nessa, came to the city. Feeling depressed and annoyed, he locked himself in his palace on the outskirts of the city, unwilling to see any guests. Naturally, he also refused to meet his father-in-law, the king of Pontus, Mithridates Eubert, who was in the same city.

Today, the sun is shining brightly, relieving the coldness of the previous day. On the terrace of a mansion in the city center, the huge Mithridates VI is leaning on the railing with his belly full, chatting with his concubine. Together with Latonis, she read the urgent message from the Euphrates River.

"Damn it, Nessa was captured too..." Mithridates said gloomily, hanging the papyrus under the palm of his hand. At this time, the streets under the mansion became noisy again - - Two groups of Arab tribal warriors from the Red Sea got together to give way. The two sides quarreled first, then cursed, and finally pulled out their scimitars at each other. The flash of the sword tip immediately filled the entire street.

The windows of the houses on both sides of the street were all closed. The wealthy citizens especially did not want to cause more trouble or see more trouble.

"Hey! If you have extra energy, why not leave it to me!" Mithridates on the terrace suddenly shouted at all the soldiers below. He was proficient in twenty-six languages, including Arabic.

"What did you say?" An Arab warrior below raised his head, put his scimitar on his shoulder, and asked the fat Mithridates.

"I will pay each of you three drachmas a day to be my mercenary."

These dozen Arab warriors gave up the fight, chirped among themselves, and then bargained: "That's not possible, at least four a day."

Soon, in the courtyard of Mithridates' mansion, another group of desert elite warriors holding camels sat and kept making noises. "Stratonis, my dear Stratonis, I have to worry about it. I have hired so many soldiers. Can I still afford it?" Mithridates walked to the balcony behind the terrace. In the inner room, sitting on the couch, enjoying Stratonis's gentle massage, he began to care about financial issues.

"It doesn't matter, your treasury is still in our hands. Neither the Armenians nor the Romans have found the castle. There are still eight thousand talents of gold and silver in it, enough for 10,000 infantry or 5,000 cavalry for a year. The military pay is gone," Stratonis comforted.

Mithridates smiled reassuringly and stroked his concubine's wrist: "Achilles came yesterday to report that a hundred triremes supported by the State of Cyprus were already in place. Takshile also said , the recruitment of 4,000 Armenian light cavalry and 4,000 barbarian infantry has been completed. I think it is time for me to take action and fight back to Pontus - here, I will leave it to Tegranis and Luculas to slowly wrestle. ”

"My lord, do you mean that everyone is taking a boat to raid Silesia?"

"No." Mithridates smiled slyly, "Achilles' fleet will swim in the waters of Cilicia, but I will personally lead Taxile's men through the waters of Taurus. Pass, rush to the capital from the land, this cry is attacking from the east to the west. "

"Oh, what about your majesty's son-in-law? He has assembled a large army in this city and is going to continue the decisive battle with the Roman legions rushing here. How can we return to Pontus under his eyes?"

"Takshile will join his team, yes..." Mithridates laughed, as if all the situation was under his control.

At this time, there was a noise outside, accompanied by the sounds of blocking and collision, and then the door was pushed open. Mithridates sat up alertly, holding the hilt of the sword in his hand. After all, this was not his city, and there was no danger. may happen. But in the end, he found that the person who pushed the door in was none other than his chief swordsman, Biduita. He was covering his bleeding arm, his face was ashen, and he stumbled and knelt in front of him.

"Emperor, your little daughter, Adiana is still alive!"

Mithridates looked happy, slowly breathed a long sigh of relief, and then said seriously to Biduita: "Where is your Abona?"

"This is my shame. I lost my mistress to the Romans." The tendons on Bituita's forehead were about to burst out, with a very painful expression.

Mithridates took off his sword and threw it to the other party, "This is my sword, my soul and spirit. Its name is Autolicus (a hero who participated in the Argonautic Expedition, also the founder of Sinope), take it with you and bring back from the Romans your Ebona, and my daughter, nay, now queen of the kingdom of Godini, and my sister, There are insiders over there who will help you.”

"As you command, my great emperor." Biduita bowed to the ground, holding "Autolicus" high with one hand, and replied.

A few days later, on the main campus of Tresceta, the clouds in the sky were shaken by shouts and scattered in all directions: countless barbarian warriors: Arminians, Arabs, Syrians, Medis, Godis. Neanderthals, Armenians, Araxians, costumes and armors of various ethnic groups, flags and staffs of various ethnic groups, chariots and weapons of various ethnic groups, miscellaneous, all gathered on the high platform of the university grounds at Tegre, the King of Kings. Tegranis's subordinates were willing to accept his command, and Tegrenis regained his confidence to fight the Romans again, because according to the statistics of the clerk, the military power gathered by these barbarians was really amazing:

five thousand Armenian Janissary Cavalry;

Ten thousand Mitian archers and slingers;

Fifty-five thousand Araxian cavalry;

Ten thousand of Godini's elite spearmen;

Twenty thousand Syrian Hellenistic phalanx infantry;

120,000 barbarian light infantry;

Thirty-five thousand servants and auxiliaries;

There were also 8,000 allies sent by his father-in-law Mithridates, led by the Pontic cavalry general Taksheele.

"We will completely defeat the arrogant Romans in the plains between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. They only have a pitiful team of less than 20,000 people, and they dare to go deep alone to covet my new capital. We can treat them like ants. Crush your opponents to death like that, and your heroic achievements will be passed down in this world forever together with the glory of me, the King of Kings!" On the high platform, Tegranis roared at the top of his lungs and waved various gestures, but below him! The sound of the two hundred thousand people was so huge that it completely drowned out the speech of the King of Kings.

Mithridates' army was also below, with their infantry and cavalry separated in a neat phalanx. Taxile felt that his surroundings were about to be fried. At this moment, an attendant cavalryman next to him was dressed tall. The giant man said to him: "General, doesn't the phalanx over there belong to King Charnus of Godini?"