Augustus Road

"People only begin to think after they encounter suffering." - Thucydides

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Under the supervision of the centurion, all the soldiers worked very efficiently, even though Ptolemy's cousin was almost a dead man at this time, and besides the eunuchs and female relatives, there probably wouldn't be anyone around him. Decent armed forces accompanied them, but the Roman legions were so meticulous that they did not dare to be careless. They first dug a semi-circular trench that was more than ten stadias long around the hillside of the small town, then to Muzha Luzhai, and then back. Various materials were transported along the Tisza River, and various small siege equipment began to be jingled with nails, hinges and wooden boards, such as a battering ram with a roof, and a two-story small siege tower. , such as the "V"-shaped large wooden shield that can protect soldiers from digging city roots safely, etc.

The commander-in-chief who inspected the position was very satisfied, but when he walked to the erected ballistae and trebuchet, he frowned when he looked at the direction in which they were aimed, and asked the person in charge of the artillery, "Why only aim at the new city? What should we do if there is an enemy hiding in the old city?" Now it was the centurions' turn to look at each other. They didn't know what made Sir Lepidus angry. Ptolemy's cousin didn't even have an army, so he was hiding. In the new city, it is puzzling to have gone to great lengths to build siege fortifications - a thousand-man brigade can simply rush in and solve any problem, but now they actually have to point their crossbows at the sacred Temple of Love?

Petnaeus spoke, pointing to the groves and lawns in front of the splendid Temple of Love, and said, "Dear Sir, I must inform you that there is a place called the Sacred Grove, where soldiers and evil spirits Weapons cannot pass."

"But I'm just aiming the ballista there. I'm also protecting the Temple of Great Love, right?" There was a hint of grievance in Lepidah's words, and then he pulled Hebrida and asked, "Back then, you served in the East. However, you should have heard the veterans talk about the battlefield, and know how General Cornelius Sulla treated the temples and colleges in Athens?"

"Your Excellency, they first cut down all the sacred groves outside the academy to use as fuel for the fire, then used them to burn the temple, smashed the statues, robbed gold and jewelry, and killed most of the priests and scholars." Hebrida's face was covered with scars and she answered expressionlessly.

Everyone was shocked. Lepidah asked his relatives to say this. Could it be that he really wanted to rob and burn the spectacle of the Temple of Great Love? No, if this matter spreads, not only you but the reputation of the entire legion will be ruined. Lepidus, just wait until you return to Rome and others will accuse you like a tarsal ant. You will not take our property with it. Also confiscated? It's too scary. He has to stop this before those lowly and rough soldiers are inspired by him to do something they regret.

But what Lebida said next made everyone feel like they had missed the mark again, "Then is there any way to peacefully enter the Temple of Great Love? I want to know if the high priest there is still inside?" Later, he came to seek refuge. The former Cypriot officer who was more knowledgeable quickly gave a reply: the high priest Defomochis, the brother of the eldest cousin, was still in the temple, but most of the priests escaped.

"I still insist on staying in Paphos. It seems that there is indeed my cousin's treasury in the Temple of Love." Lepida thought to himself.

In the early morning of two days, the Romans suddenly fired two flaming stone bullets from the originally silent position. They did not hit the new city, but actually fell directly into the Temple of Love in old Paphos. One of them hit In the small pool, the fountain sculpture was torn apart, half of the eaves of the side hall were destroyed with one shot, and several white geese resting below were killed.

Then a day later, Lepidus immediately led a large group of soldiers and lined up respectfully outside the sacred grove. At the foot of the temple steps, several frightened priests held sacred vessels in their hands (Lepidus was doing this in the Temple of the Goddess of God). However, he was too familiar with these messy things) or firewood, coming and going with wandering eyes. Lepidus then shouted in Greek, it was the artillery error of our army that hit this sacred place just now, so I want to pay my respects. Chief High Priest, explain all this in person.

Who knows, after those priests went in, they never came out again. It seems that this method will not work!

At this time, no one seemed to care about the life or death of Ptolemy's eldest cousin in the new city, but Lepidus was still very anxious. Logically speaking, Brutus, who was following behind him, was moving faster, so he had to hurry up.

As a result of the accidental injury incident, Defomochis adopted the method of pretending to be stupid and ignored the various provocations of the Romans. The next day Lepidus still had a new trick:

The next day, a group of Roman soldiers who took off their armor, including of course their commanders Lepidus and Petheneus, wearing only short shirts and civilian sandals, drove two grunting pigs, plus a thin head. They had snatched the cattle from the nearby countryside. They were very hungry when they found them. They had obviously been abandoned by their original farmer owners, and they entered the sacred grove without hesitation.

Several priests in white robes rushed out in a hurry, trying to block their progress, but Lebida's reason was very strong, "We are here to priest the God of Love!" Then a group of people quarreled and pushed at the entrance of the temple, and even pulled the pig The ropes were all removed, and the two pigs were happily running around the temple. The Roman soldiers were arresting them all over the temple. The skinny cow lay down listlessly, knowing that it was about to As if he was being sacrificed, tears flowed down his face.

This farce finally ended with Defomochis's compromise. He was trembling. He didn't know if he refused forcefully this time, whether the Roman camp would catch fire tonight, and whether it would spread here and burn to rubble. It’s scary to think about it. You must know that in the peaceful years, this Temple of Great Love was full of pilgrims. Under the natural cliff stone bridge in the sea outside, luxury ships were moored everywhere, and millions of sesterces were worshiped every year. The Kingdom of Cyprus even considered using this temple as a treasury. Now his brother has placed thousands of talents of funds in it and said to him, "Even if I cannot escape this disaster, I will continue to fight. The Romans originally offered me the position of high priest, but they also asked me to go to Rome and become a convert. I really can't accept this change. My dear brother, you have to protect this wealth. I don't think the Romans will do anything to you. No matter what, you can succeed as king when the situation is stable."

Now it was obvious that the Romans were coming, and they were very cunning and difficult to deal with. No matter what, they had to bite the bullet and see their commander.

Outside the temple, the soldiers sat on the steps in twos and threes, rubbing their feet and scratching each other's lice. After sacrificing pigs and cows, according to the rules, they took the cooked offal, ears and other things from the hands of the priests and ate them. In the temple, Lepidus saw Defomochis slowly turning out of the inner room, and he set his eyes on the huge statue of the God of Love in the center. (To be continued.)