Augustus Road

"What's wrong with me sleeping with the Queen of Egypt? I don't care what the hell they are!" - Marco Antony

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Then both of them fell silent. To be honest, this was a last resort. Maybe there was no water in the desert where they went to Perusim Fortress, so setting up camp in the desert and then besieging the fortress was simply a wishful thinking. . .But setting up camp in Edom, although we can cut down wood, obtain water sources and fleet supplies, but it is too far from the front line of Pelusim Fortress, dozens or even hundreds of Roman miles away, so ten When sending bushels of grain to the siege front, nine of them would be consumed on the way, not to mention being attacked by the defenders. Therefore, Petheneus even said, "You have to believe in my ability." These words were spoken in a hurry, but the implication was that they could only fight on the latter path.

Lepidus had nothing to argue with. In war, there would be luck but no miracles. Looking at the soldiers walking around holding wood and tools, Lepidus could only say to Pethenius, "Anthony leads the cavalry." It will take about three days to go back for reconnaissance. When he comes back, we will make a detailed plan. I will ensure that everything is foolproof."

"Damn country, damn desert." In the fierce golden sun and the equally golden and boundless plains of gravel, Anthony's forehead was covered with sweat, which continued to flow down his beautiful beard and thick neck. , but it was immediately turned into a ball of fishy smoke on the cloak and disappeared without a trace. He subconsciously hooked the hook of the wine bag under the left saddle.

At this moment, the alert Sabo (who had been following the footsteps of the military tribune with all his strength) drew the reins and came to his side. His dark cheeks seemed to be no longer roasted by any sweat, and simply followed Lepider's instructions. , persuaded, "Your Excellency Tribune, you must be responsible for all five hundred people. Now our requirement is to stop and replenish water every time we advance. Therefore, we will face enemy attacks at any time. You cannot Accept any alcohol."

Anthony glanced sideways at the young man who still looked childish, and then looked behind him. The people of Verbicinas were almost unbearable. These riders who were accustomed to the snowy climate of Gaul really couldn't stand this kind of desert weather. Fortunately, Lepidus had convinced everyone beforehand. They no longer wore Gaul riding trousers, but replaced them with Egyptian Knuth white shorts. They sat astride the saddles and raised the water bags carried by the pack horses behind them. Hydrate greedily.

So the tribune asked Sabo a question, "This desert is too long. We are all cavalry, and there are supplies from the packhorse team. With this appearance, it is difficult to imagine that 6,000 people, with infantry and ballistae, Engaging in the attack on the Pelusim Fortress, the team may have collapsed due to heat and thirst before they even reached the sight of the enemy's bows and arrows. "

Then he said a few words to Dusonville. The chief turned around and shouted loudly, indicating that everyone must cherish drinking water and not use it to wash the body or horses.

Then Anthony's ears twitched a few times, then he reached out his hand to the scabbard on the shoulder strap, tapped it a few times, and then said to Sabo in a very affirmative tone, "Three or four furlongs away from us, I'm afraid there is an enemy warning camp."

"How did you know?" Sabo couldn't believe what the other party said. He was a rationalist, but Anthony's answer below made him completely frustrated. "This is the gift of Hercules to my intuition. I am The descendant of his child Anton, I have this ability." Anthony's boring response really made Sabo dumbfounded.

"Listen, I will go up to the higher sand dune about a furlong and a half away with the flag and trumpeter. Then Sabo will lead one hundred cavalry on the left, Dusonville will lead two hundred cavalry on the right, and we will divide into two groups. Both wings, follow my orders, break through the enemy's guard camp, and capture officer-level prisoners." Next, Anthony ignored Sabo's sneer and began to issue combat arrangements seriously.

"But we received an order from the Commander-in-Chief in advance. We are just reconnaissance scouts." Sabo shouted loudly. As the supervisor specially appointed by Lepidus, he was fully responsible for the actions of the entire team.

It's a pity that Anthony didn't pay attention to what he meant. Instead, he led the cavalry holding the flag and started running towards the sand dunes over there.

"Damn it!" Dusonville looked at him asking for permission, because he knew that Sabo was a close confidant of Lepidus, but how could he change it? Sabo could only make a gesture to Dusonville, and then all the military slaves of the packhorse team led the horses and moved forward for half a furlong, hiding in the shadow of the hill and squatting down to rest. The two of them could only follow Anthony's instructions. The arrangement was divided into two wings of soldiers and horses, and they began to separate and move quickly around the corner of the sand dune.

As Antony climbed higher and higher, he soon carried King Numa's flag and climbed to the edge of the dune. The intuition of Anton's descendants was completely correct. Antony heard the panic and noise below - the sound of the dune. Over there, there were about a hundred Egyptian vanguard troops marching, probably hoping to climb over the sand dune as soon as possible and get to the back to avoid the terrible scorching sun.

This vanguard team was mostly made up of dark-skinned people whom Anthony had rarely seen before. They were four in a row, forming a long column. The first half held skinned shields and held light spears, while the second half had Libyan-style sabers hanging on their waists. Scimitar, carrying bow and arrows.

"Haha, attack them, and remember to leave one or two alive." Anthony excitedly drew his dagger without any hesitation, and was the first to rush down the sand dune. The flag bearer and trumpeter behind him sent attack signals to the left and right wings. The entire army used Anthony as a charge mark and surrounded the Egyptian vanguard on three sides. Under the sudden attack, the vanguard team still showed the tenacity of the desert people. The people in the front row directly pushed their leather shields into the sand and set up a temporary horse-blocking line. The people behind hurriedly drew their bows and shot arrows. Under the flying arrows, Anthony, who was rushing in the front, shouted loudly, and his mount jumped up. He was hit by two arrows in the chest and the horse's neck, but he also stepped on several leather shields. Then the military tribune rolled over several times, but soon spit out the sand in his mouth, put on the cavalry helmet that fell on the side, and even pulled out a short sword, and chopped down several Nubian archers in succession. The rest of the cavalry rushed into the small breakthrough one by one, and soon tore the defense line of the Nubian mercenaries. They couldn't even maintain the rear guard formation, so they began to abandon their weapons and flee.

There was a lot of dust over there, and the left and right wings of Sabo and Dusongwei formed a narrow pincer shape, encircling and annihilating all the remaining enemies.

"How far is the fortress of Pelusium from here?" Anthony, with a bruised nose, sipped some wine on the ground full of corpses after the battle. At this time, Sabo was not interested in dissuading him and began to interrogate the prisoners.

After a few whispers, the other party just replied that it took us infantrymen twelve days to get here.

Even if these Nubians only walked five Roman miles per day, there were still sixty Roman miles to reach their fortress. Hearing this answer, everyone present felt a great chill even in the scorching heat. (To be continued.)