Augustus Road

"The pen is a prostitute, and printing produces prostitutes." - Philip of the Dominican Church in Venice opposes the popularization of printing

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It turns out that according to the ancient religious concept of the Romans, the priests of Jupiter divided mankind into eight centuries, each century cycled in order, and each century also had heroes belonging to that era. The reason why these heroes are outstanding is because they enjoy the "divine favor quota" given to them by the century. Once the quota is used up, the century will automatically replace the new heroes.

Therefore, after the private explanation of the soldiers' committee, most officers and soldiers also vaguely understood that our commander-in-chief, His Excellency, is the real hero of the next century.

After the legend in the Delphi Temple ended, Lepidus, who buried Crassus, won great glory. Even Rome began to spread his deeds. Naturally, this was inseparable from Lepidus's bribery and support of many writers and poets. It is said that he was a descendant of the offspring left by King Numa in the East (how could King Numa go to the East? The files of various writers are different, but all of them can justify themselves. As for which legendary woman he had a sexual relationship with, they all showed their magical powers). Later, he became a friend of the god of love in Paphos, and now he received the oracle of Apollo, which caused a sensation for a while.

However, the two legions did not go directly from Delphi to Apollonia, and then crossed the sea to Brindisi, but went north along the mountains of Epirus, towards the province of Illyria. Finally, they stayed there. The legendary commander did not return to Rome. He did not go to Gaul, but stayed at the border calmly, with a huge camp of nearly 20,000 people, and wrote a letter to Caesar who was still fighting hard in the central Gaul Highlands:

"Dear Governor of Gaul, former consul Julius Caesar, things have not been going well so far. I am leading a group of soldiers without legion numbers, and everyone needs to spend a lot of money and food every day. But people are still fleeing because I lack the right military rank to lead them. In theory, my exile period has not ended yet, and I heard that in last year's consul election, the Senate elected two centrists, centrists who have nothing to do with you, Pompey, or even Cato the Younger, so I am particularly worried about whether my position as a finance official can be implemented. You know, only when it is implemented can I feel at ease. The soldiers under my command can feel at ease and go to Gaul to continue to provide dedicated services for the military of the province."

The letter soon reached Caesar's hands. He understood that this was Lepidus asking for something from him, "forcing" him to fulfill his previous promise - to be promoted to the state's finance official and prepare for entering the Senate.

The current Lepidus is different from the past. The guy who could only lead a brigade of auxiliary troops at the beginning is now fat and scary. He indirectly controls two legions in Syria, two in Gaul (the twelfth and thirteenth), and two legions he privately raises. And if Lepidus is really satisfied, his Serapis Legion and Cyrene Legion can just replace the 6th and 15th Legions that Caesar lost before. No, not a replacement, but a leap.

Caesar was not a man who liked to flatter. His reply was quick and frank. "Minister of Finance, since I promised your wife Julia, I will do it. In addition, I have another gift for you. That is to temporarily send the 12th and 13th Legions, which have worked hard before, back to Rome to participate in the small triumph they deserve. Believe me, the soldiers and centurions are calling for your return. They do not recognize the current legion commander, and think that only under your leadership can they feel happy when they cross the Vilia Mountain. However, the Republic has not yet had the habit of providing triumphs for auxiliary legions alone, so I sent the 10th Legion and even temporarily ceased fire with the barbarians for this. As for the details of the official position, I hope you can pay attention to two people. One is Spinzel, the current inspector - all contracting projects The qualification approval of the finance officials is under his management. I think you should be familiar with this process. I repaid tens of millions of sesquiterres for him before, and it is time for him to repay. Another one is my father-in-law, Piso, who has now replaced Cato the Younger as the minister of justice. Just leave your exile to him. If you encounter any difficult problems, just find Claudius as usual, and don't forget to visit my mother. Her health is not very good now, and I am very worried about her. I can solve the number problem quickly, so there is no need to worry about it. "

But Lepidus still did not order the army to advance. After two or three market days, Caesar personally asked his nephew Phedis to come with the number-now the Serapis Legion is the 15th Legion, and the Cyrene Legion is the 16th Legion.

Satisfied, Lepidus handed the two legions over to their respective chief centurions, and then dressed himself up in the tent and put on a toga. Then the craftsmen came to report that the renovation of the "Carabia" had been completed. Lepidus walked to the port of Dicchachuang and saw the originally ordinary two-row ship anchored on the sea. Now it has a bronze bow with the statue of Apollo, a refurbished deck and bridge, and an additional oar position. There are golden shields hanging on both sides, and then it is heading towards the port of Brindisi.

He used the pseudonym of the Cyrene richest man "Ambrosius" who did not exist at all, landed on the land of the harbor, and then went straight to Rome along the Appian Way.

In the early morning, "Ambrose" woke up in his earliest apartment on Ciucola Street. The administrator there, Fat Delferro, was shaking the key in his hand hesitantly when he entered the door. The shock of Crassus's death has spread to the lower levels of the food chain - tenants who lack confidence, including technicians who repair apartments, have abandoned their careers and left, worried about the unclear future of Crassus' legacy.

"Continue to do it with peace of mind, Delferro, I promise you that I will protect the legacy of Lord Crassus to the greatest extent. Whether it is the assets in Italy or the real estate in Rome, they will be safe and sound. As long as we continue for another three months, we will Time will come." Lepidus and the fat man hugged each other warmly, and then when they saw Delferro, who was like a savior, he subconsciously regarded him as his new master and hurriedly guided him to his room, "My friend, no, he is the respected Lepidus. Your Excellency, please have mercy on me. Who told you that you and I both came to Rome from foreign countries? Although no one has lived in your room for a long time, I have always cleaned and maintained it carefully. I always feel that this is the most memorable place. Meaningful, it will become famous in the future.”

Delferro's words were not entirely flattering. When Lepidus opened the door and went in, the floor, terrace and stove were indeed very clean. When Poti was pregnant with Leo, the swaying couch was still there. The fluttering curtain swayed slightly behind.

Seeing all this, Lebida sniffed the air and suddenly felt like he was home. (To be continued...)