Augustus Road

"Is that so? No wonder you are suspicious. In fact, we received a message from Caesar halfway and turned back to other passes. We rushed out from Ochirem, but we were intercepted and ambushed by several mountain tribes on the way. We finally crossed Inner Gaul and arrived here." At the temporary camp where the 12th Legion and the 7th Legion met, Labinus smiled and explained his doubts to Lepidus: It was indeed Caesar's mobilization order. The governor had actually arranged everything long ago, letting the 7th Legion and the 11th Legion split up and cut off in other places to disrupt and cut off the Helvetii's road.

At this time, Labinus scratched his head and suddenly asked Lepidus, "Has the Senate not sent the herald priest of Phychiaris yet?"

The Phychiaris Priest Group is actually the diplomatic envoy of the Senate, specializing in declaring war or making peace with enemy countries, while the Priest Group of Mars, the god of war, is only responsible for organizing festivals and grand events, which seems to be a bit unprofessional. Labinus asked this question, naturally to test whether Caesar's military action against the Helvetii had been approved by the state.

Lepidus shook his head regretfully, and then he saw Labinus's face change slightly, as if he was performing a very illegal military mission. This made Lepidus curious. Logically, Labinus and Apis were both from the Democratic Party, and they all supported Caesar in political ideas, but why did they become like this when they heard that the Senate had not issued a war order?

Forget it, even if I don't accept this chief deputy general (I should be the chief in three years), but the 300,000 Helvetii troops are in front of me, and I have to cooperate with him wholeheartedly. Lepidus comforted the other party and said. He is very familiar with Chief Allobroges. He can let him act as an intermediary. Ask the surrounding Gallic tribes such as Aedui and Sequani to send envoys to meet us, and we will reiterate the Republic's obligation to protect these tribes.

"But I heard that the Helvetii are also using diplomatic means to win these tribes as allies. If the Helvetii succeed, we will have no excuse or need to pursue them in depth. This is just a normal ethnic migration. The specially elected father will not agree to punish them with the anger of Mars." Labinus was a little excited.

But Lepidus didn't care. He just said. Since the governor needs war, he will get what he wants.

At this time, he saw that Labinus looked at him with more complicated eyes.

After Caesar's large troops arrived here, he now had five fully-formed legions in his hands. He always followed the Helvetii tribe along the north bank of the Rhone River, and could take in many abandoned children and elderly people on the road every day.

"The other side may be short of food. The advance team of the entire army must keep a distance of eight Roman miles from them. It must not exceed this distance, otherwise it will be regarded as retreating before the battle." After Caesar gave this order expressionlessly. They arranged for the merchants accompanying the army (this was completely different from that of Lepidus, but it might also be because they were fighting in the barbarian area. It was completely different from fighting in civilized countries like Greece or the East, where they needed to bear moral responsibilities) to sell all the elderly and children they took in as slaves, so as not to waste the limited food of the army.

Under the scorching sun of May, hundreds of thousands of hostile parties maintained small-scale fighting and contact every day at the foot of the Alps, sweating profusely, and making twists and turns. The Helvetii were running at full speed, and the Roman legions were holding on desperately. Until Caesar learned from the weighing officer that the military rations were consumed astonishingly in this kind of march, and there was at most half a market day's stock. After these days, the army really "ran out of dry food".

When camping in the evening, Caesar felt that he could not delay any longer. Every fifteen days, the legion would have a "supply day". On this day, the quartermasters must distribute sufficient food, wine, cheese and fat according to the camp team (ten people). Now it is less than two days away from the next supply day. Perhaps Caesar can persuade the soldiers to continue chasing the Helvetii on an empty stomach as the governor of Gaul Province, but he must risk being chopped to pieces by the mutinous soldiers. Because he himself knew that among the six legions, only the Gaul Tenth Legion and the Illyrian Eleventh and Twelfth Auxiliary Legions had a superior-subordinate relationship with him before. Now he only has two under his command, and there is also an Apis "Lightning Thrower" Legion that is still wandering around. The other three regular legions will not buy his account at all.

"Two days later, all the supplies in the concentration camp will be distributed to the four regular legions first. As for the two auxiliary legions, do their work well, for example, give them the money earned from slave trading first, and then postpone the supply day for five to eight days." In front of the table, Caesar sharpened the hook pen back and forth on the table, but although he said so, the pen tip was reluctant to fall on the vellum.

Lepidus knew that he hesitated. After all, the auxiliary soldiers were also people, and they would rebel because of hunger and dissatisfaction. The citizens had swords in their hands, so did they all have sticks in their hands? "Sir Governor, I want to know how much money was earned from slave trading these days."

Seeing Lepidus asking questions, Caesar asked the weigher to show him the account book. After he glanced at it for a while, he said that at this moment, we can temporarily stop the pursuit of the Helvetic tribe, build a stable camp, and then send quartermasters with money to purchase food from other tribes on both sides of the Rhone River, and ask the Senate to allocate the war budget as soon as possible-we can't rely on spoils of war.

"What if the Helvetii are allowed into the Sequani Pass?" Caesar asked.

"It doesn't matter. We have exhausted all the supplies of the Helvetii in the past period of time, and our goal has been achieved." Lepidus said, "Before passing through the Sequani Pass, the Helvetii must pass through several other large tribes. Even if they have reached some kind of non-war agreement at the chief level, it is harder than climbing to the sky to control 300,000 people from looting on the way." In fact, Lepidus had already understood Caesar's intention, but he had to tell all the legion officers through him. After all, Caesar was the governor, and he couldn't tell some dark plans directly.

"You mean, if the Helvetii plunder the surrounding tribes, we must assume the obligation of joint defense with the Roman allies?" Caesar turned the hook pen in his hand twice, and then said to Lepidus, "Many of the heroes I brought this time are familiar with the Gaul region. I remember you, Lepidus, are also familiar with it. You seem to have a good relationship with some people in the Allobroges tribe..."

"Yes, so please stay in the camp, collect sufficient food and equipment from all sides, and concentrate on waiting for the Aedui, Sequani or Allobroges to send envoys to ask us to go to war with the Helvetii!" Lepidus saluted confidently and said. . )