Augustus Road

“The people, to whom the republic had given them command, government, and all other rights, now did nothing but longed for only two things, bread and entertainment. ”——Juvino in the Imperial Era

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"What?" This was the only word that came out of Lepidah's mouth when he received the Aisio envoy in the camp.

The tributes offered by the Esios to the king of New Cyrenaica were a source of surprise and amusement to him: a plate of huge ostrich eggs, a python with horns, and a naked, plump, dark-skinned tattooed woman.

The envoy below, who was proficient in Greek, hurriedly explained to the Commander-in-Chief that ostrich eggs are the favorite gift of the Ethiopian people, and that the long-horned python is the totem of their tribe. This kind of snake is only found in this desert, and it is very special. Rare. As for the woman, she was covered with golden circles from her knees to her ankles. Lepidus asked the envoy to explain what this meant. As a result, Esio's envoy returned very proudly. This was the most distinguished lady in their kingdom. Every time a woman in this country had a relationship with a man and gave birth to a child, she would add a gold circle to her leg. And this This lady has the largest number, and people all over the country consider her to be the most virtuous and the most blessed person - now I hope the Commander-in-Chief will also accept her, so that she can appreciate the goodwill of our nation.

Several centurions next to him, including Lieutenant Petheneus and Tribune Antony, couldn't help but laugh. Sabokemus stood upright, the muscles on his dark face constantly trembling. It looked like he was almost suffering from internal injuries.

The commander-in-chief had a "defeated" expression on his face. He reluctantly accepted the ostrich eggs and the python. But the woman who was full of gold circles politely returned the gift, saying that she was busy with military affairs and had no time to enjoy such a blessing. As a result, the envoy was very guilty and patiently explained to the goddess who was completely naked, her belly covered with grease and stretch marks, and she was preparing for a fierce hand-to-hand fight. The goddess immediately let out a dissatisfied, angry cry like a bat, and she also I have never been ridiculed like this.

After Gong sent the goddess away. Lepidus politely said to the Ethiopian envoys, apart from these precious gifts, what other kings do you serve? Everyone present noticed that Lepidus did not have the status of a Roman officer, but directly advertised himself as the king of Cyrene. ——The envoy replied respectfully that the Ethiopians can choose fifty noble sons to serve as guides, because there is nothing wet in southern Libya, and only we can lead your army out of this land of death. As long as you reach the Atlas Mountains, the place where the saying goes "Pillars of the Sky". And only by finding the Apollo Spring can your entire army avoid the disaster of annihilation, which is the same tragedy as the Proi people.

"You love me so much, so you must have required our army to pay a corresponding price in advance, right?" Lebida didn't believe that these gloomy cavemen would be so sunny and forget about the day's conflicts so quickly.

"We need to use the power of your army to clear out the Garamantes further west. They are a very large and powerful nation. They have as many as 10,000 men who can fight, and they have two hundred four-wheeled vehicles. Chariots, even the Greeks in the Cyrene area learned how to drive chariots from them. Your respected monarch does not know how we were oppressed and abused by this tyrannical tribe hundreds of years ago. Their tribe During the coming-of-age ceremony, all the men will automatically form a team, and then drive chariots to hunt us all over the world, and bring back the heads of our tribe as tokens of adulthood." When the envoy said this, his expression was extremely angry, and then he said. I asked Lepidus in a more passionate tone. As long as the Roman legions can wipe out these enemies, the Ethiopian people are willing to offer an eternal oath of allegiance. With our familiarity with the customs and geography of the entire Libya, we will assist your army to invade Cyrene. Nicheng.

"Then offer the oath of your kingdom first, now." Lepidus understood that for these ancient barbarians, the oath before the gods was still very binding, so the envoys immediately walked out of the camp, took out hammers from the entourage, and killed each other one by one. He smashed his teeth down, shouted a curse at the bloody teeth, and threw them on the top of the tent.

"We can attack the Garamantes and massacre this nation, which will also be good for our security!" In the following secret joint meeting, Petnaeus drew on the papyrus map with his finger. There was a trace, "Obviously, after the defeat of Garamantes, we have eliminated all worries. In addition, the grateful Esio cavemen will also provide us with considerable logistics. Especially the Atlas Mountain that the envoy mentioned , and Apollo Spring, as long as we can reach there, our army can obtain precious wood and water sources, so that we can be invincible. "

The deputy general's plan made Lepidus nod frequently, and then he waved to all the generals, "Our logistics burden is too heavy. With pack horses, we will consume a huge amount of food, grass and water, but without pack horses, we cannot carry heavy equipment and baggage at all. Baggage. Therefore, whether you can defeat the chariot is the key to victory in the battle against the Garamantes. Chief Centurion of the Thirteenth Legion, come out!"

Full of gold and gold chains, Hebrida stood up with her chin high.

"Your brigade will have a small-scale battle with the Garamantes first. We will watch the battle on the side. Sabo will serve as the supervisor. Do you need the auxiliary brigade and cavalry artillery?"

Hybrida said arrogantly that it was not necessary. Libida finally gave him a cavalry wing, that is, 120 cavalrymen for flank defense, and explained that the chief brigade would mainly engage in battle at the unnamed hill at the front of the valley. I have deployed three cavalry cannons on the mountain, and there are two auxiliary archer brigades. If the situation is unfavorable, they will come to support, and bring all the legion officers to observe.

Amid the roar of the wheels, more than a dozen Ethio people once again let out bat-like cries, and rolled and crawled towards the ochre rock mountain desperately. Behind them, two Garamante chariots were running so fast that their wheels were about to fly off, but they just didn't fall apart. This four-wheeled chariot with a body woven with African cork and rattan has the advantages of being rough and durable, and very fast. There are only two passengers on each chariot, one is responsible for driving the horse, and the other holds a javelin on the right side of the chariot and throws it with his left hand. All the passengers wrapped their heads with white towels, leaving only their eyes exposed to prevent damage from sand and dust.

At the pass, when the Aesios in front escaped, heavy infantry in armor suddenly emerged from the caves on both sides. After forming a horizontal line, they overlapped their heavy javelins and square shields. The Garamanthes actually had a steering system on their vehicles! Although they made a big circle, they still turned the chariots back smartly amid the neighing of the chariots and horses, and did not crash into the Roman shield wall.

At this time, many Nubian soldiers with bows and arrows emerged from the hills on both sides, shooting arrows at the two chariots, but the speed of the Garamanthes chariots was really like lightning, and the arrows and javelins fell behind their wheels one after another, causing no killing effect. (To be continued...)