Augustus Road

Lepidus put down his hand with a smile, and the soldiers fell silent after sweeping the ground. Then he turned around and walked down two steps, standing just below Defomochis. The high priest also smiled and put on a golden laurel leaf crown. On his head, the priest next to him held sparrows, rabbits and other lively things in his hands, and filed into the inner hall to offer sacrifices. Lepidus, wearing a golden laurel leaf crown, walked to the makeshift platform and spoke to all the soldiers. He said that he did not use manuscripts at all, which made the general soldiers with low literacy levels very admired. After all, I studied rhetoric with Tyranion:

"Dear comrades, I have promised you before that we will stop in front of this temple of great love to get the rewards you won in previous battles, but I feel that there is something more sacred than reward payment now. The thing that binds us and blesses us is the mercy of Venus, who entreats us not to offend her throne, but to reward us with greater wealth - I now declare that eight hundred talents of gold will be withdrawn at once All the silver will be used to reward you!”

The soldiers burst into loud cheers, while Sabo stood nearby and calculated. Eight hundred talents, which is more than five million drachmas, even if the rewards of the generals and centurions were several times or even ten times that of the soldiers. , but each person can still get about five hundred silver coins, and even the military slaves can get thirty or fifty silver coins. No wonder the soldiers are all like chicken blood.

But Lepidus had other plans in mind. The reason why he wanted to get the seven thousand talents of wealth that Defomochis handed over and strictly prohibited the high priest from keeping a copy was to prevent Cato and Brutus from getting involved. Ranzhi, as long as the account book is in the palm of his hand, he has the final say on how much it is and how much it is used. Half of it must be his own, and no matter what, he has to grab an extra 1,500 talents and let Cato take it with him. Two thousand visits to Rome would probably allow him to enjoy a minor triumph.

At this time, when he saw the pleading eyes of the high priest, he remembered the previous contract, cleared his throat slightly, and asked the soldiers to immediately mobilize two brigades, one to patrol and guard around the temple, and the other to patrol. A wooden fence was erected around the temple to prevent stray people from entering. He asked the soldiers to cherish and protect this wonder as much as they treat their eyes. "Because this is the glory of our Thirteenth Legion, I will report the news of the recovery as soon as possible." Go to various areas of the Republic, and from that day the monetary rewards will be in place, everyone's mood will calm down, and all officers and soldiers will return to their respective combat positions. "

"I am the universal representative of the god of love in the world (the Sumerian word for agent), and I can say to you now that because he has restored the glory of the land of the ancestor gods of the Republic, this golden laurel leaf crown and this golden star pendant will be Belong to him and his people forever, and he is now the friend of God." According to the rehearsal, Defomochis first put the gold star chain around Lepidus' neck, and then took his hand and raised it. , shouted.

The priests and soldiers hidden in the sacred forest suddenly released a group of gray sparrows, which verified the recognition of the God of Love as a "friend of God" and her little friend. This process does not distinguish between dynasties, Chinese and foreign. What is necessary is to deal with feudal superstitions, and naturally the superstitions of the slave era must be dealt with.

At this moment, a Gallic rider wearing a Celtic helmet hurriedly rode up to the front of the queue, claiming that he came from the camp, and begged the Commander-in-Chief to return there as soon as possible, because of the Ptolemy's chariot was appearing in front of the camp, and the people staying there didn't know whether to welcome them or attack.

What exactly is going on? Is the eldest cousin going to surrender? Although this situation had already been planned, this method of surrender was considered innovative. Lepidus stopped the high priest who wanted to follow, and then took several followers and followed the rider who reported the news on horseback.

There is a distance of less than two furlongs between the siege camp and the new city. There is an open space at the foot of the mountain. The trivial dark dust is being blown by the sea breeze. Dozens of men and women dressed as palace servants are standing neatly with their hands folded. In the middle of them, four gorgeous shoulder carts have been placed on the ground, and all the curtains have been hung. Under the clouds, there is an indescribable sadness and strangeness.

The leader wearing a high eunuch's hat saw Lepidus dismounting in front of him and wearing a golden laurel leaf crown. He knew that this was the highest commander of the Romans, so he said in a high-pitched and sad tone, "Noble Pharaoh Your Excellency, you are unwilling to surrender to the enemies in this world, you have crossed the yardstick of the kingdom of truth and the threshold of justice and peace, and turned into the sunshine with Taixu, rising and setting forever."

You can just tell your Pharaoh that he's a burp. After listening to the eunuch's attendant's long speech with a frown, Lepidus and several generals walked to the stage where the "Kepler" crown was hung with a sullen face. Next to the shoulder carriage, this kind of blue crown was worn by the pharaohs of all ages when they went to war. When the curtains were lifted, they saw the "big cousin" who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had already put on a wax mask. This is the must-have for the deceased. With the equipment prepared, Lepidus mustered up the courage and took off the mask. Inside was a twisted face with black blood on the nose and corners of the mouth. This was probably his eldest cousin, whose kingdom and seven thousand talents His wealth harmed him. In the end, he could neither get real assistance from the Kingdom of Egypt, nor escape from the island, nor a loyal army to fight for him to the end, so he could only choose to commit suicide by taking poison.

The second sedan chair was the body of my cousin’s wife, my cousin’s wife. No, to be more precise, it was actually Adiana’s half-sister, who was married to Cyprus by Mithridates. She also had beautiful chestnut hair, but she had passed away. Lepidus had asked Adiana before whether she needed to protect her sister in the war, but Adiana answered calmly in front of the mirror, “God decides who should live.”

The third and fourth sedan chairs were several children, all four or five years old, who should be the offspring of the couple. They all died of poisoning. Lepidus sighed and lowered the curtains one by one. Standing in front of the eunuch, he said sadly, “This is the greatest misfortune of this war. I will report this tragic news to my superior, that is, His Excellency Cato, the Governor of Cyprus, as soon as possible. These royal family members will all receive a decent funeral. I believe His Excellency the Governor will approve it.”

In such an environment, it is natural to put all the responsibility for forcing the Ptolemaic royal family to commit suicide on Cato the Younger.

The eunuch and all the servants knelt down in tears and placed their hands at Li Bi Da's feet to express their deepest gratitude to the general. (To be continued.)