Augustus Road

Three days later, Herod declared national mourning because the great general Surena died young from a burst blood vessel after drinking too much at a victory party.

Surena was only thirty years old and did not even leave any suitable heirs. She and the remaining children of her concubines were all secretly executed, and the family power was eradicated. It did not take long for this kind of news to spread among the Rong clan. The news spread among the elders, senators and nobles. Naturally, everyone knew the real inside story, but they kept it in their hearts and did not dare to say anything.

Naturally, everyone also remembered the true meaning of the delirium spoken by the madman when Surena passed through the ruins of Babylon in triumph. It turned out that this allusion came from "Aesop's Fables". The big bag Surena rode on the horse was a bag containing On his chest, he can clearly see other people's flaws, but the madman is mocking his "bag on the back", that is, his own dangers and flaws, but he turns a blind eye. This is the case with human hearts.

Philosophy afterward, but delirium beforehand.

Not long after, Surena's head, pierced with Crassus's, was sent to Lepidus' military camp. Lepidus, with all the centurions in mourning, put Crassus's head in a golden box, and He swore to bury him in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi on the way home, because that was the greatest temple of the ancestor gods of Crassus. But the body of the former consul could never be found again.

Then, Lepidus's followers put Surena's head into another box. This was the bargaining chip for the Parthian emperor to ask for peace, and it was also the greatest honor for him after returning from the expedition. He was about to ask the scribes to write a "legend" , how he defeated Surena's army, and how he beheaded the opponent to avenge the governor. As for the real cause of Surena's death, Lepidus would not mention a word, and recorded it with Parthia. Let’s leave the contradictions to later generations of literati and scholars to litigate in writing and ink.

At this time. Lepidus was suddenly startled, and suddenly saw two prisoners who were also released by Herod, Paxianus and Rostius, standing next to him. The former had been used as his substitute because he resembled Crassus. Paraded through the streets of Seleucia. The latter was the scribe who accompanied Crassus, but now the two men were looking at Lepidus with extremely strange eyes.

Lepidus was trembling violently as he looked at the two men. The generals all believed that he had seen this veteran who looked exactly like the governor. The emotion is so intense that it is difficult to control myself.

But only he knew clearly why he was trembling, but he calmed down and asked Paxianus in public, what did Surena ask you to do.

Paxianus said calmly, "I was asked to pretend to be a real governor and consul, and I learned Greek clumsily." And survived by acting.

"Very clumsy? My son-in-law, the chief centurion Hybrida, has been fighting in Greece and Asia Minor for almost ten years, and he can't even speak three sentences in Greek. But you are really talented." Lepidus laughed. Then Paxianus also laughed, then Rosius, and then Lepidus asked all the generals to retreat. Then he gently led the two of them behind the curtain.

In the red curtain, Lepidus suddenly held Paxianus's hand and said in a deep voice, "It's you..."

The other party laughed, indicating that he acquiesced in Lebida's judgment. Rossius next to him was also happy, but Lebida was still a little hesitant. Because this was a big deal and a real legend after all, so he carefully asked Paxianus about some topics about the seal and the style of the cloak to confirm something. Paxianus answered all of them fluently, without any mistakes, and finally he lowered his head and fiddled with the gray hair on the top of his head, which finally convinced Lepidus, because it was very rare that there were three people on it. The hair is twirled, a feature that Lepidus is also very familiar with.

"Wait a minute, I will give you the seal, the cloak and the box of contract documents." Lepidus turned around happily and walked to the wardrobe under the curtain window, and then habitually knocked on the cabinet three times. Then he opened the linen curtain hanging on the cabinet, held the exquisite small box in his hand, and walked slowly towards the other party's body, very solemnly, like a virgin holding the flame and holy water in the Temple of Vesta, Paxianus casually stretched out his hands to take it, but his body soon stiffened, and he stood there with his mouth widened and his eyes rounded - Lepidus secretly took out the drop-shaped droplet from under the skirt plate. The sharp dagger penetrated deeply into his lower abdomen under the box, and stirred inside a few times. Then he gave it a few violent blows with his hand. Paxianus' back suddenly rose several times, Then he gasped and grabbed Lepidat's collar, trying to say something, but he was pushed away by the other party coldly, and then he rolled to the ground and stopped breathing.

Just as Rosius was about to shout something, the curtain was lifted, and Hebrida rushed in with several Spanish swordsmen, stabbing his back and waist several times, and he was suddenly stunned.

"Where are the Governor's retinues?" Lepida gently wiped the bloody sword blade with a sponge and asked Hebrida.

"They were all given generous severance packages and went to Antioch. They have no reason to stay in this hellish place." Hebrida's reply made Lepidus very satisfied. He pressed the shoulders of his children's parents-in-law and whispered He said, "This matter is easy to explain. It will become a legend, preferably in three to five years. But you have to quit drinking in the recent period, and no one else should reveal the slightest bit of news. The fee for quitting drinking is one hundred thousand drachms." horse."

"This damned fellow, originally a low-class person living in the Italian countryside, dared to perform such a vulgar drama to insult the Republic and the heroic spirit of the Governor after being captured. He even dared to blackmail me just now. As the commander, I executed him." Lepidus sheathed his sword and said so to the swordsmen behind Hebrida. Anyway, they didn't understand Latin very well. Then the master raised five fingers, and they smiled happily, which meant that each of them would have an additional allowance of fifty dinars.

Killing a previously captured traitorous veteran and clerk would not cause any disputes or doubts in the legion, and these subordinates were all his own people. Lepidus certainly trusted them, but he couldn't sleep that night. He had asked people to deal with the body of "Pasianus". There was no need to nail it to the cross, so it was directly mixed with the other fallen soldiers, burned on the funeral pyre, and buried on the spot.

"In future books, only my legend will be written, not yours. Your property, business network and reputation in the knightly world should be managed by me. Right, Pasianus?" Lepidus washed his hands carefully in front of the bronze mirror, facing the moonlight outside the tent, and kept muttering in his heart.