Augustus Road

Lepidus' order was just an intimidation. After entering the city, the Fourth Army did carry out a brief but effective plunder. However, as long as the lives of the citizens of Chinodosha stayed in their original homes, their lives were still protected, but their property was hard to say. After the Soldiers Committee made an efficient calculation of the captured property, they used part of the money to advance it and distributed it to the "meritorious soldiers", and then transported the finances along the safe river to Bambi City with their packhorse teams. Temple, go to Governor Crassus to make an accounting and cash it out.

The one who really suffered was the tyrant Apollonius. As a sign of victory, Lepidus would not let him go. He and his mercenary guards were squeezed to the river, with neither bridges nor ships, and soon they were He paid the price for his foolish actions. He, his wife, children, and generals were killed by the Romans with swords. Then the four legions imitated the Assyrian habits and cut off their left ears and left hands and put them in sacks together with the trophies. Return to the Governor's winter camp.

Then, the Fourth Army quickly occupied key points such as towers, fortresses and temples in the city, and set up warning checkpoints on the passages, driving all the citizens out, allowing them to bring necessary utensils, such as pots and stoves, blankets , stone mills, clothing and tents, etc., and distributed some flour and grain to them, surrounded these people with wooden fences, and sent an infantry brigade to guard them. On the third day, a new order was issued in Mucha Camp: The Roman Governor-General of Syria requisitioned everyone, subsidized them with food and money, gave them some equipment and livestock, and sent soldiers as overseers to start demolishing the farms and villages in the suburbs. The masonry and wood obtained were used to expand and renovate Chinodosha City.

Lepidus' plan required that the focus be on strengthening the city wall. The outer wall of the road was built along the outside of Chinodosha. This exterior wall is a duplex structure. In front is a half wall that reaches the waist of a person, used to block the charge of Parthian horses. Between the half wall and the back wall is a standard Roman trench filled with pointed wooden stakes. The back wall is eight Romans high. The ruler was built with earth, covered with stones, and a trebuchet and rod throwing machine were erected. Between the outer wall and the original old city wall of Chinodosha. Not only were camps, warehouses, and stables set up on the ground, but also two simple flybridges were set up in the air to facilitate the movement of personnel.

This workload was so huge that the Fourth Legion not only forced all the citizens in the city to fight, but also recruited labor from the entire city-state.

When the ears and hands of Apollonius arrived at the winter camp of Zucma, Crassus was so excited that he immediately set up an altar to Juno, Apollo, and King Numa in the camp, and mixed the corpses of these defeated people. The entrails and ears of cattle were publicly sacrificed to his son Crassus the Younger. It happened that two thousand Aedui cavalry, donated by Caesar, came to rendezvous. He also brought a letter of condolence written by the Governor of Gaul, and a gift equivalent to three hundred Euboean talents. In Caesar's letter, he greatly praised Crassus's "swift and swift" actions, and gave him a gift again. The old man cheered, "Achievements comparable to those of Alexander the Great are just around the corner. Don't neglect your determination and enthusiasm to save and liberate the friends of the Roman Republic from the iron heel of Parthia. I can foresee that by the time the two come Three years later, when you return in triumph, there will be three hundred to five hundred liberated free cities in Mesopotamia and even Bactria, dotted here and there, jointly loyal to the eulogizing of the greatness of the Republic. How great will that be? Spectacular situation!”

Another secret letter from Caesar secretly to Lepidus described it this way, "Crasus's army was used improperly. He left the elite and combat-effective troops to garrison at Zhucoma and Antioch, while taking three or four hastily assembled troops. Legion, prepare to go deep into the barren land, and there are too few cavalry and archers. You have to act accordingly and don't serve as a sacrifice."

After putting down Caesar's letter, Lepidus let out a long sigh and told Sabo and Arp that everything would have to be done by himself soon!

At the same time, in Ctesiphon, the winter capital of the Parthian Empire, the cavalry delivering the order reported the tragic news of Cinodosha to Herod. The other party handed the message to Surena next to him with a pale face. "The Chaldean astrologer told me that the stars in Sagittarius will be extremely dim this winter. Are we really out of luck?"

After Surena understood the situation, he told the king very clearly, "Don't be defeated by the battle situation in Chinodosha and become decadent. My 'Assisi' (the title the Parthians call the king), now The seven armed forces of the Rong clan gathered in Ctesiphon still numbered no less than one hundred thousand. Although your brother Mindaz still occupied the city of Seleucia to cause rebellion, Crassus and the Roman army of Cinodocia also Well, if we want to get close to him, we have to cross the desert area between the two big rivers. We can still be sure of victory. My plan is for you, Asasis, to take the other troops and go north to capture the city of Chinondosha. Eat the partial divisions of the Romans, and the Eubotian and Armenian armies will go south to cooperate with your flanking attack. They will also detach part of the army and hand it over to the leadership of Serxis and Vagisis to continue to besiege your brother and prevent him from letting go. Free movement - while I took the private cavalry and the servant infantry from the Mesopotamia area to fight against Crassus' main force in the Syrian desert. "

"How do you know that Crassus must have gone deep into the Syrian desert?"

"Because the spies reported, after the death of Apollonius of Chinodosia, the Romans of Jukma became complacent. The arrogant and greedy man named Crassus openly demanded money from the temples in Syria and Jerusalem. In addition, he shamelessly asked all his subordinates to respectfully call him the 'triumphant general'. We only need to attack a Roman stronghold that is alone, and it will be easy to mobilize him to lead the main force to a decisive battle, and then his head will be able to fulfill his long-cherished wish and triumph in Rome." Surena said in a frivolous tone, and then he hooked his finger, and a fat Arab chief in a white robe came forward with a smile on his face. Surena introduced that this man named Akbarus was the most powerful and wealthy nobleman from the Red Sea to Petra, and he also hoped to help Parthia defeat the Romans because Crassus's policy hindered his source of income.

"I have helped General Pompey to attack Jerusalem and the Red City of Petra before. I believe I am very familiar with all aspects of the Roman army and can fully cooperate with General Surena's brilliant strategy." The fat man named Akbarus said confidently, and the fat on his face was squeezed into several balls because of laughter, and it was impossible to distinguish his facial features. (To be continued...)