Augustus Road

"These four men were all kings of Asia Minor. They were all extremely powerful. Each ruled a country with a circumference of thousands of stadias (a thousand stadias is equal to 180 kilometers), and I only used it slightly. With one finger, they surrendered, and now these four are just my grooms," Tegranis recounted with great pride.

"Yes, I believe that in the future in Rome, these four people will also show off their talents at the Grand Hippodrome." Apis then directly began to ask Tegranis, "Let us discuss irrelevant issues here, shall we? What is your Majesty’s reply to the Roman commander’s proposal?”

Tegranis sat back on the throne and began to ramble again: "I am not willing to hand over my father-in-law, but I have no intention of going to war with you Romans. In other words, Armenia has enough to protect itself. Power, do you understand what I mean?"

Apis shook his head and said bluntly: "If Mithridates is not handed over, it means war!" After saying that, he handed the letter to Tegranis.

"Arrogant Romans, do you think you are the only one in this world who knows how to forge a murderous sword?" In the side room, Otterpeli couldn't bear it anymore. She walked out first, and then faced everyone present. People shouted: "If Pontus joins forces with Armenia, there will be no less than a hundred thousand elite warriors who can fight the Romans. My father also has tens of thousands of talents of treasures, plus the majesty of my husband, the King of Kings—— From the Caucasus to the Red Sea, whether they are Armenians or Arabs, when they hear the call of the King of Kings, they will raise their spears and bows, like dark clouds and showers, and come from thousands of miles to serve and gather in our By your husband's side - our army will number more than a million by then! And the poor Romans, they will have less than ten thousand people. It is said that only one hundred of them can share one war horse, and most of them can only fight on foot. They can You have survived to this day just by relying on false threats. You guys, don’t be intimidated by appearances, pick up your sword and fight like a man, otherwise the ** of Armenian and Pontic women will no longer be your temple of joy. We will despise you and reject any of your advances!”

The Queen's encouragement had a huge effect. The nobles were full of courage. They collectively raised their swords and asked Tegranis to resolve to fight the Romans.

Tegranis also burst out with the heroic spirit of a man. He browsed the diplomatic correspondence written in three languages: Latin, Greek and Armenian, and then threw it down the stairs, "Romans, I condemn your arrogance. and stupidity. I, Tegranis, am the 'King of Kings' in Asia, recognized by hundreds of tribes, city-states and kingdoms, but your commander Luculas only calls me As a king, I will respond accordingly and not call him a triumphant general in my reply. In other words, Armenia’s huge and powerful army will crush the triumphal ceremony he dreams of!”

"War, war!" The entire palace hall was boiling.

Apis picked up the letter, said nothing, and was about to leave, but Tegranis stopped him and said to him: "Young man, although I don't like your arrogance, I admire your handsomeness and simplicity. Even if this meeting is not so pleasant, I will still show the generosity of the King of Kings - these treasures are gifts to you, which can add some glory to your shabby tent." After that, the sixteen people. Strong palace servants came out carrying many boxes, filled with a dazzling array of treasures, sparkling in front of Apis' eyes.

Apis selected for a short while and took out only a small silver spoon from the mountain of treasures, indicating that he was only willing to accept the gift of the King of Kings.

"Why did you only choose this thing?" Tegranis was puzzled.

The envoy of the Roman Legion smiled contemptuously, raised the spoon, and said to all the kings and nobles: "Because soon, I will hold this spoon and sit on this mountain as a conqueror." Dining in the palace with other soldiers."

A gray and vigorous homing pigeon, its wings swept over the heavy cumulus clouds, crossing the lake and the mountains. It brought the results of the negotiations between Apis and the Armenians to Luculatun at the fastest speed of that era. Camp Amisus.

Luculas' confidential slave, after taking off the letter tied to the pigeon's leg, quickly entered the commander's camp and handed it over to his master who was discussing strategies with the generals.

"Sure enough, Tegranis condemned me and wanted to be an enemy of Rome." Luculas sat on the chair, slowly read the content of the reply, and then said: "Everyone, the bad news is this year. The winter camp will be completely canceled again. Sonajius will lead the Eighth Army to stay on the coast of Pontus. I will lead the Seventh and Eleventh Army back to Karabi, preparing to cross the Taurus Mountains and fight Armenia; OK The news is that both Thrace and Galaxia are willing to assist me. We will get enough servants, soldiers and supplies. I will be the first Roman general to cross the Euphrates River. The king of Armenia and the king of Pontus will also appear in my camp. On the Triumphal Ceremony.”

"Your Excellency, morale will be a problem. The soldiers have not had a good winter camp for two or three years in a row. They may not be willing to cross the snow-covered mountains and fight on the enemy's soil." Chief Deputy General Murila admonished.

Luculus's expression showed that he couldn't believe the soldier's idea. Didn't Roman citizens want to win the honor of soldiers? "Dear Mr. Tyranion, isn't the greatest honor of a soldier to fight on the battlefield, rescue the people of that country from tyranny, and put them under the protection of justice and fairness?" The general asked a scholar standing next to Murilla in fluent Greek.

Tyranion, a Greek wise man captured in Sinope, now became Luculus's staff and guest, and sold him to Murilla as a high-level slave for two thousand dinars of silver coins - but this was just a formality. Luculus promised that once he returned to Rome, he would free Tyranion's identity and recommend him to become the most famous rhetorician in Rome.

"Yes, my lord, all of Greece is praising your bravery and kindness." Tyranion said respectfully.

"That's what you Greeks think. Our soldiers are now thinking about how to rob your Greek cities." The commander of the Seventh Legion, Sextilius, shouted, "Everyone knows what a Greek is. The active party in oral sex and the passive party in anal sex are Greeks. This is the role the world has given you."

"Enough!" Luculas was furious at his subordinates' rudeness. "I recommended you to lead the Seventh Legion, not to let you get along with those soldiers. Your legion annihilates and kills people, and even steals food from the temple altar. When the Seventh Legion marches, the flag bearers and trumpeters sing pornographic songs."

Sextilius did not dare to refute publicly, but just muttered in a low voice, "But our legion has the greatest military achievements..." As a result, his complaints were secretly stopped by several military tribunes.

"Okay, speed is of the essence in war. Stay here for three days to prepare. Once the troops are assembled, march to Karabi at a forced pace, and then advance to occupy Sofini. If we hold this strategic point, the Armenians will be helpless." Lukulas gave the final order.