Augustus Road

Chapter 23 Helispon's Veteran (Part 2)

When this group of people shouted slogans, hunched over, the sweat on their bodies was in the wind, and a salty whiteness oozed from the tattered clothes, they dragged Calabis's ship out of the shoal, "Put me down." Go." Calabis climbed down from the ship's ladder, jumped into the biting sea water, and swayed to the shore. Arminius and others were all sitting on it. Breathing heavily, I thought Karabis was here to pay.

"The legion's schedule is very tight. I'm going to the Euxinghai side soon. Are you willing to follow me?" When Arminius took the money bag handed over by Calabis, the other party's kneeling down The appearance and voice made him stunned, "Calabis, it's you!"

"Originally, we could have followed the legions and enjoyed the great triumph after the war, and received at least a reward of one thousand drachmas, plus land settlement in the colony. But the Jewish slave, named Demetrius, had already He arranged for retaliation, and just three months ago, he inspected our garrison cities, and then impeached us to his master Pompey, who, as commander-in-chief and administrator, expelled us. "A man on deck. Minius took a sip of the heated wine handed over by Calabis, then greedily hugged the cup and drank it enthusiastically. He had not been exposed to alcoholic hot drinks for a long time, "Hey, Heb Rida, please tell me something! Your wife has written to you before about how Calabis treated our family in Rome."

Under the re-unfolded kapok sail, Hybrida, who was sitting against the mast and holding a clay cup in her hand, slowly turned her head to Arminius and Calabis and said, "Brother. I'm not as short of money as you are. I already have enough money to go back to Rome. Do you know why I'm still with you? Pompey didn't let us get the Grand Triumph, so we snatched it from him and made him walk. , the most trivial little triumph."

"Hybrida, you want to take revenge on Pompey? Then we are on the same front." Opposite, Calabis's black hair was fluttering in the sea breeze, "However, you have to know that during these three years in Rome, "How much did your wife and daughter cost me? Do you think it won't cost you a year's military salary to send Fan Lundina to that kind of school?" He held the cup in his hand. When he was about to mutter something, Calabis kicked up and kicked away the cup of the lower-ranking centurion, startling the new recruits and veterans around him, "Don't call it a day and it's over, Highbrida, it's now I hired you, a veteran expelled from the legion, and Arminius, and all of you here and now - I ask you to swear allegiance to me."

On the undulating deck, the veterans of Hybrida were silent. Calabis raised his finger, and the ring on it was shining brightly, "Now, the special envoy of the Thirteenth Legion, the Roman knight Calabis Cornelius. Marcus F, I need your allegiance, otherwise get off the ship now." The veterans looked out at the endless black sea of ​​​​Euxing, and then several people staggered to the mast and kissed. Calabis's ring, and then they hugged each other and talked about their vows.

"One and a half rations, a gold chain, low-ranking centurion of the 10th cohort, annual salary of 800 sestes." When Arminius came up to hug him, Calabis said softly.

"Double salary, two gold chains, senior centurion of the 10th Battalion, annual salary of 1,200 sestes. There is no need to pay back what your woman and daughter owe me." Finally, Hebrida also came up. After swearing a hug, Calabis said expressionlessly, then pushed him aside, pulled the sail rope, and shouted to everyone, "Listen, I am different from the previous tuna, and I am different from Pompeii." It’s different. At least, in the 10th Brigade, I have the final say. I won’t take off your gold chains and money bags like Pompeo, drive you out naked, and let you sink to the bottom. The situation of trackers. As long as they perform well during their service, their rations and military pay are twice or even three times that of these recruits. Of course, the same is true for all recruits. Our purpose in this battle is very simple. Don't you want to take revenge on Pompeo? Guys, don’t you want to take revenge on that Jew who became so arrogant when he became powerful? Then in the Kingdom of Bosporus, capture the dying Mithridates, and then wear an ocher red cloak and escort the royal family of Pontus in the mint petals. , triumphant on the streets of Rome, let’s see the expression on Pompey’s face then, I think it will be interesting! How old can that guy who calls himself a general be?”

The veterans all raised their cups and cheered in the splashing waves. Then Calabis ended his speech with a serious expression, solemnly pressed his hands on the bow railing, and silently carried everyone on his back toward the sea water below. There was a lot of vomit flowing down - it was really painful to use your breath to make a speech on the deck.

After a long period of turbulence, the nightmarish sea journey finally ended. They saw the city of Ponticabion under the morning sun. What surprised Karabis was that he had always thought that the Bosporus was the country of peace and prosperity. The scenery was like the prairie of South Russia, but he was wrong. There had been Greek colonial cities here for a long time. The coast and land were densely covered with stone mines, farms, pastures and towns of various sizes, rising up in the mountains. Bask in the holy sunshine.

Guided by the lighthouse on the cliff, the ship sailed into the semicircular marble harbor. Surrounded by the tower, all the Roman soldiers boarded small boats and docked in twos and threes. On the square by the sea, the governor of the Kingdom of Bosporus, Adiana's half-brother, Marcea, was surrounded by the guards and officers, wearing a small golden crown, standing with his hands hanging down, and warmly welcomed the arrival of four battalions of Roman reinforcements.

In the sound of the guards' trumpets, "Excuse me, excuse me! I am the supreme commander of the reinforcements, Babulius Claudius. May I ask where the toilet is? In the palace behind this tower?" In the queue, a young officer wearing a cloak and a gorgeous helmet hurriedly walked in front of Marcea, asked a few questions in rapid succession, and then walked up the steps of the palace in a hurry.

Seeing this, Marca's inverted eyebrows drooped even more. He was a short man with a nomadic face, covered with acne, but his beard was as thick as his father's, inheriting the characteristics of the Persians.

When he saw Carabis standing in front of the Roman soldiers, he asked anxiously: "May I ask who you are?"

"I am a legionary, responsible for the liaison between the Senate and the Thirteenth Legion." Carabis tried to make his position more specific. (To be continued.)

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