Augustus Road

In the large hollow square formation, next to Luculas were the retinues holding fascist and eagle flags. The shields they stepped on below were stacked up to form a temporary high platform. All the generals lined up on both sides of him, all with expressionless faces. Only Ke Lao Di looked uncertain.

"Soldiers who followed me in the battle, now I have broken my promise. I promised you that in the spring of the coming year, I will completely destroy the enemies of Rome, Mithridates and Tegranis, at the end of the world, on the sea. The Carnian Sea washes away our shoes and shields. However, now the cunning enemy has changed their marching route, making it impossible for us to see each other from the beginning to the end. I know your hardships and sacrifices. You just climbed over the towering mountains some time ago. The Taurus Mountains have now returned to this place, but we cannot give up yet. Once Mithridates returns to Pontus, he will enslave the Greeks there again and force them to pay high amounts for the war. With taxes, he could quickly organize an army of 100,000 or 200,000 people. In this way, not only would Rome be unable to retain the newly conquered territories, but even the acquired territories such as Bithynia, Sardis and even Boiosia would inevitably be lost. The colors will change." As he spoke, Luculas clenched his fists and raised them high, encouragingly: "Follow me again, brothers, we have fought side by side for so many years, and there has never been a failure because of my incompetence as commander! For that reason, believe Luculas." At this time, Calabis in the crowd noticed that Luculas, whose voice was hoarse from shouting, had tears falling down his cheeks.

But almost all the soldiers were silent and their expressions were extremely numb. They were tired of endless marching and fighting without winter camps. They were completely tired.

"Isn't it possible that the first thing on this guy's mind was not to bury the body of the fallen Eighth Legion leader?" Karabis clearly heard someone complaining next to him. It turned out that this complaint was like Like a rapidly erupting epidemic, word of mouth spread and grew bigger and bigger. Finally, the soldiers broke their silence and shouted slogans: "We don't need a hard-hearted commander like Tuna. He only cares about his own reputation and has no sympathy for the soldiers." mood."

The censure got louder and louder, and Luculas soon couldn't stand on the stage. His body was shaking violently with anger and disappointment. When he saw his brother-in-law Claudius below, he was actually exposed. When he chuckled happily, the anger in his heart could no longer be suppressed. He asked his retinue to rush down, and in front of more than 10,000 soldiers, pressed Claudius on the empty snow in the center, and peeled off the cavalry captain's gorgeous and bright armor piece by piece. Claudius screamed loudly. , "Luculas, Luculas, tuna, brother-in-law - you can't treat me like this, my sister is your wife!"

Perhaps he had found someone to vent his anger to, Luculas gnashed his teeth and shouted at the entire army: "This is the worst villain, yes, he is my brother-in-law, but he is the sinner of the entire army. I already have evidence that he colluded with Mithridates and secretly sold information to the Pontus people, causing great harm to the Eighth Legion. He also secretly incited the soldiers from camp to camp to say what Pompey said. The army has made a lot of money garrisoned in Italy. Why do we have to suffer here to instigate you to rebel against the authority of the army? He also collects bribes and annihilates the enemy's ladies at will..."

Claudius's handsome face was completely distorted as his head was held down, and his veins popped out as he shouted: "Damn it, don't forget, you yourself also obtained the right to go to Asia Minor through a courtesan in Rome. ! As for myself, I was kidnapped by the Pontus people, and I am also a victim." This made Luculas even more angry. He quickly rushed down, took one of the fascist sticks, and beat his wife hard. My brother's bare white back immediately bloomed with gorgeous flowers, "You, like your sister, have inherited the bad seeds of evil and dissoluteness in your family. When I first came to Xiaoya, you did lawless things. You thought you were afraid of punishment and left the legion privately, but you were captured by pirates. You actually wrote to me shamelessly and asked me to pay you fifty talents to ransom you. But in fact, the pirates said you were not worth the price at all. You are only worth two talents. In the end, how did you get back from the pirates? Tell me whether you tell me or not!"

Claudius's nostrils were beaten with blood. When he heard his brother-in-law questioning him like this, he panicked. He immediately hugged his brother-in-law's thigh under the rain of sticks, "Please, please, don't Say it..." Luculas held the wooden stick in his hand, gasping, and threw the wooden stick away with a "clang", then kicked Claudius to the snow and cursed: "You must pay the price for this failure - you immediately go through all the Centurions present, and then I will lock you up and wait to be sent back to Rome to receive the punishment you deserve. !”

"Claudius, this is the only thing I think Tuna has done right." When Claudius walked to the queue of the third team with his hands folded and his buttocks naked, his face covered in blood, Hebrida looked at him like this He said, and then all the soldiers in the regiment angrily threw small stones and garbage at him.

But even though Luculas punished his brother-in-law, the mentality of the legion remained the same. Many soldiers no longer followed orders, but refused to go out for patrol or training on the grounds of falling snow, and military discipline quickly deteriorated. Luculas had to persuade and enlighten the soldiers from tent to tent. But many soldiers were not polite to the commander at all. When he entered the tent, they all turned their backs to him, or threw the empty money bags of the tent team to him again.

"Three regiments, get ready, and prepare to go out for training!" One noon, Hebrida blew the whistle desperately in the regiment camp, and everyone, including the freeman Karabis, hurriedly put on their clothes and armor, and quickly formed a team with the centurion as the core. Then, Hebrida gave a brief lecture and shouted, "All regiments, leave the camp, march twenty stadia away, and must carry equipment." Then he turned around first and took the lead in trotting. More than 40 soldiers also formed two teams, shouted slogans, followed the centurion, passed through the fence and the camp gate, and ran out of the camp with the curling smoke.

The moment they went out, Carabis, who was in the running team, saw Luculas, who was leading a horse and his entourage, standing on the side of the road, staring at them in a daze - Luculas's route was easy to judge, there was only one way to go, and the destination was only a three-regiment camp.

It seems that Hebrida deliberately did not want to see Luculas, fearing that he would come to hold his hand again, talk about strategy and honor, and urge the soldiers to go somewhere as soon as possible to stop Mithridates, so Hebrida simply pulled all his men out in the name of marching, and did not see Luculas.

When they passed by each other, Carabis clearly saw that Luculas's once confident and carefree expression was gone. He looked haggard and listless. Especially when he saw the soldiers looking at him with disgust, the corners of the commander's mouth would twitch weakly from time to time.

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