Augustus Road

The rest of the cavalry, a total of more than fifty cavalry, formed a diamond-shaped team with a wide field of vision. They led Calabis and the Veteran Centurion to leave the large group and rush towards the established direction. "The center of the circle is surrounded by cavalry. The creek is a very broken place, and there is a road on one side, and there are cliffs on the other three sides. If they continue to move, they can only go straight along that road. "A tax collector looked very familiar, riding together with a cavalryman. Horse, said to Calabis, who was running.

"What you said is roughly correct. The prisoner also said that Takshiler led the main cavalry and rushed towards Khersones in the southwest corner. There are water sources, wood and food that he urgently needs." Calabis shouted back as he ran, "All troops, attack quickly and behave like veterans, complete the mission!" All the veterans responded collectively in a low voice. Like Greek warriors, they carried round balls on their backs. Shields, carrying heavy spears, and others holding captured Scythian spears, a weapon with a barb on the spearhead. Hay and branches were piled on the helmets and shoulder armor, and they continued silently. Start walking quickly.

With tax collectors leading the way, they did not encounter any difficulties along the way. They passed through dense forests, mountain passes and streams, and did not even encounter the scout cavalry from the capital. The free looting in the past few days greatly reduced their vigilance. Even yesterday The armed reconnaissance of the Calabis brigade failed miserably, but the main Roman troops marching along the mountains towards Khersones today also made the Pontus people mistakenly believe that the Romans' goal was to rescue Khersones. , so the Pontus cavalry stood on guard, in small groups, constantly launching harassing attacks around the team led by Hebrida, preparing to consume their physical strength and will, and then at a suitable place, all of them would attack. The army gathered to surround and annihilate the Romans!

The arrow feathers danced in various trajectories in the air, but the main column led by Hebrida and the peripheral soldiers all held up long shields with their right hands and wore double-layered chainmail armor with thick clothing stuffed inside. Holding the weapons in their hands so that the Scythian bows and arrows would not cause too much damage to them, these soldiers lined up in long lines to cover the baggage and light troops on the inside, that is, on the side against the mountains. Some people fell injured. After getting off, they were pulled into the queue. When the Scythian light cavalry came too close, the scout cavalry waved their spears and drove them away. The entire team with the eagle flag was still moving towards them stoically. Head southwest.

This "magnet" obviously attracted more and more Pontic cavalry to attack and harass. They even gave up looting villages and markets. The prisoner of war cavalry was right, so that Takshile could attack Kherson. Nes, these cavalry came out in full force to prevent the Romans from coming to rescue.

However, on the other hand, in the dense forests, Karabis's veteran team marched quietly like ghosts, silently approaching the center of the map board at that time, "In front is a densely forested hill, with a river running across it, It extends to the other side of the mountain. If you turn over, you can see the road. "This was the tax collector's judgment. Calabis nodded and made a gesture - all the cavalry, about fifty people, dismounted. Put a tight bit on the horse's mouth, which is a Celtic method to prevent them from biting and barking. Then, with the veteran infantry as the leader, everyone formed a strict team and began to walk upward into the dense forest. , with dense branches and leaves, only a few stars of light shine through. The feet of the men and horses stepped on the thick fallen leaves and pine branches, making no sound.

Following the tax collector's instructions, they followed a stream that was almost hidden by dead branches and leaves, using this as a route, and walked slowly and cautiously toward the hill.

"The stream bifurcates here!" Several sharp soldiers pointed there and said to Calabis who caught up. Sure enough, Calabis pulled the tax collector and said, "Here, which branch leads to Over there on the hill?" The tax collector looked at the sky, then at the ground, and at the dark surroundings. He could only shake his head, indicating that he was not sure.

Arminius shouted why he didn't leave. Then when he saw this scene, he was stunned for a while and said, "We can only divide into two teams. I will lead one team and you will lead the other team."

"No, we can't disperse!" Calabis said with certainty. The number of people on hand was already overwhelming and they couldn't be dispersed, especially in this situation. If they were dispersed, they would probably not be able to get together.

At this moment, something that everyone feared happened. From the depths of the dense forest on the other side of the stream, a deafening sound came, like the sound of human footsteps or the sound of horse hooves. The faces of the Roman soldiers were earth-colored. Could it be that they were originally Everyone discovered us! ?

"Down!" Calabis knocked on the helmet of the flag officer behind him, and everyone understood. They half-crouched down one by one, with their spears and daggers facing downwards for easier fighting. They were all covered with Hay and dead branches, even if the people of Pontus came, they would not be discovered unless they were at a very close distance.

At the moment when Calabis's eyes were frozen, something jumped over from the other side of the stream, a thing with horns on its head. It was a majestic stag. Its body drew an extremely beautiful arc in the low sky. The line jumped over the stream in one go, and flew away in front of Calabis's eyes. Then the entire herd of deer, like a cheerful school of fish, jumped over the stream one by one with a roaring sound. In the end, only a gray The misty fawn ran into the stream with some fear, turning back and forth, not daring to follow its group ashore, so it was left alone. With its big furry eyes, it looked at Calabis with some grievance and helplessness, and mouthed. It shouted "Yoyo" in a language that humans can't understand.

"Don't do it, let it go!" Carabis said, holding down the hand of a soldier who was about to throw out a hunting spear.

The figure of a doe flashed over there, accompanied by an anxious cry. The fawn shook its little buttocks, looked back at Carabis, and then quickly got on the shore and disappeared.

At this time, when Carabis's eyes shifted from the back of the fawn to the front of the stream, and he was about to raise his hand to ask the troops to continue moving forward, he suddenly saw a rider wearing a mask and a cloak, with a striking white horse under his crotch, jumping into the stream like a ghost, and the horse's hooves stirred up the sound of gurgling water. When the rider saw Carabis standing on the opposite bank, wearing the uniform of a Roman officer, he pulled the reins to restrain his mount, watched quietly, stopped in the middle of the stream, patted the neck of the mount that was shaking its ears, and whispered to comfort it, which was a little uneasy.

The loose sunlight after the light snow spread obliquely on the trees and streams. All the soldiers saw their temporary battalion commander standing by the stream, staring at the strange rider, and looked at each other in bewilderment. They could only hold the flag and lead the horse, standing behind and waiting for orders. (To be continued.)