Augustus Road

"The stability of a political regime is not a sign of a nation's health but of its impending illness." - Monson

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After saying this, Machius was let go. Next, Caesar asked Lepidus what the results and insights of this war were.

As a result, Lepidus remained silent, and Caesar laughed, "Do you know why Pompey's men have such weird tactics? In fact, like your legion, they are almost all from Tarraco, Spain, and their tactics have long been in line with those of the Spanish barbarians. , is especially proficient in small team tactics, so it has special advantages in hill melees and flexibility. In addition, Pompey's first-class chief battalion is a first-class elite in terms of armor and drills. It is normal that you can't chew it. But - in this battle, you still made several mistakes that senior commanders cannot make. "

"I understand that the enemy's combat strength was not accurately estimated and I did not do a good job of reconnaissance during the planning. As a result, the troops were unable to assemble in time. A good encirclement and annihilation operation turned into a chase battle." Li Bida said it in one breath. , I also feel that the simple annoyance has been relieved a little, "But now the advantage is still on our side. The Fourteenth Army has sent three new legions of troops, plus local recruitment, we can still get two legions, so now we There are nine legions, and Pompey is shrinking towards Brindisi. Even if two legions are immediately transferred to Sardinia, if there are still seven legions, it can form an absolute advantage to encircle and annihilate him. " What!

Why didn't I lead the legion to besiege Brindisi? Why. A heavy exclamation point suddenly appeared in Li Bida's heart, why was I sent to lead a partial army again!

Of course, the expression on Lepidus's face was caught by Caesar, and he began to talk about the truth that "revolutionary work does not distinguish between high and low": the war begins in the new year. Both sides use professional legions of the Republic. And similarly, a large number of people and financial resources from all over Italy were expropriated, seriously damaging the agricultural production of that year. If nothing unexpected happens, a large-scale famine will inevitably break out by the end of the year at the latest. Since I will undoubtedly soon occupy all of Italy, and then take charge of the power of the city of Rome, I will not allow this to happen.

Sardinia is a rich wheat and timber-producing area, so your task is to expel Sulpicius of Pompey's party, firmly occupy this place, and on the one hand, deliver sufficient food to the city of Rome. On the one hand, it is used as a fleet base to train the navy, because the sea is an extremely important part of future battles. Caesar's subtext was that he could attack Masseria without any scruples, and if it persisted in resisting, he could plunder and destroy it. This was also a disguised form of repayment for Lepidus' military supplies for him.

Even so, Lepidus still had dissatisfaction to express, but Caesar quickly made a blocking gesture. It seemed that he had thought carefully about this plan, "I have made appropriate personnel arrangements, and I will return to Rome immediately. After a certain procedure, you will be the governor of Sardinia, and you will be automatically promoted from branch officer to senator, and appointed as construction officer. This is a senior official in the country. In addition, although Sardinia is only a small province, it can still be regarded as a senior official. I have high hopes for your future." As he spoke, Caesar put his gentle hand on Lepidus' shoulder and said in a low voice and quickly, "No surprise, you will be better than Curio and Antony. He has been consul for a long time - don't worry, there is no law in Rome that stipulates that foreigners are not allowed to stand for election, not to mention that you are a naturalized citizen. You will be with Basatus, who is also an indigenous Spanish noble and has no Roman ancestry. He is the chief, and there is no problem for you to be the second.”…

Since the other party specifically repeated "no problem" twice, Lepidus had nothing to say. At this moment, he suddenly saw an imperceptible smile appearing on the corner of Curio's mouth next to Caesar. When Caesar made detailed arrangements next, He finally understood, "General Lepidus led the 15th and 16th legions, and all the attached cavalry, crossed the sea to attack Sardinia, and looked for opportunities to attack the city of Masseria; Antony was responsible for continuing to stay with the 13th legion. In the city of Rome, order was maintained; Curio and Quintus led the Fourteenth Legion, and the newly formed seventeenth and eighteenth legions in the future, marching along the Latina Road towards Sicily; I led the rest of the legions. Legion, besiege Brindisi."

Yes, it seems that Caesar did this intentionally. If you guessed it correctly, Curio will be the future governor of Sicily and will be responsible for the war in Africa. So if he succeeds, will he really compete with him based on his age? With the advantage of seniority, you can take the position of consul first? I'm afraid it's dangerous, because Curio's cards are much better than his. As for Antony, Caesar was obviously trying to cultivate him in an attempt to separate him from himself. In short, it is impossible to say that Caesar was not wary of him at all.

But Lepidus quickly tolerated it. He just asked Caesar to assign his deputies. Caesar said that this is natural. Your centurions should remain intact. Paulus and Angandinus have all been assigned to you. You have nothing to do with Sardin. Nia has full power to recruit troops and command.

Lepidus, who was somewhat depressed, abandoned the camp to Tagus in the next few days, and rode around the scenic coastal villages with Sabo, Paulus and others. When he was at the mouth of a small river flowing into the sea, he suddenly saw two centurions holding sticks and axes and marching towards a beautiful small city on the other side of the river.

Curious, Lepidus asked, and the answer he got was "According to the order of His Excellency Caesar, go to destroy the city of Kingulum and sell all the residents in it into slavery."

Lepidus' heart sank, and he immediately stopped the leading centurion. Seeing that it was the future governor of Sardinia who made such a request, the two centurions could only ask their subordinates to stop, "Why did His Excellency Caesar do this? Is there a reason?" Lepidus continued to ask.

"Because His Excellency Caesar said it very simply, he wanted to avenge General Labinus who betrayed him."