Augustus Road

The decisive battle of the Epollo River has ended, and the smoke of gunfire in the three provinces of Spain has also ended. The five most elite Pompeian legions are completely gone. This once unstoppable war machine is now just an endless pile of death by the river. There were just horse carcasses and wounded soldiers all over the ground.

Caesar hosted a banquet for everyone, including Sextus, Afranius, Peleitaus, and Libo. At the banquet, Caesar asked everyone to drink to the coming of peace and the restoration of the republic.

Sextus held a cup of wine and toasted Caesar with the etiquette of his fathers, and then asked Caesar what he would do with them and all the soldiers. "Follow the stipulated laws of the Republic." Caesar replied seriously. "I will jointly consult with the other consul Banks in Rome to stabilize the order of the province as soon as possible and decide what to do with you. But please don't worry. , I will never use capital punishment on you who are also citizens. Whether it is execution or exile, the civil war itself is a tragedy, and there is no need to create new hatred, so you are likely to be released and then leave New Carthage. - Go wherever you want."

What he said made all the generals behind him very surprised. Why should he send the enemy back? It seems that Caesar has been like this since the Rubicon, constantly winning, but constantly letting go. Among the noise, only Lepidah was thoughtful and silent. "That's the truth. Are rebels still qualified to deal with those who defend the republic?" Afranius said such words, which made the atmosphere at the scene extremely tense. Even Caesar looked at his predecessor in power. The officer said nothing. He had got the news before that Afranius threatened to surrender. He must also question Caesar's actions as a former consul.

So Caesar just smiled generously instead of giving a positive answer. But Afranius, with the aggressiveness of a wounded gladiator in the Colosseum, repeated his words aloud. "Aren't you also a legion of the Republic before? When you followed this dictator and warmonger and trampled on the laws of the country, didn't you have the slightest regret?" Obviously, he hoped to get a positive answer to his question.

"Shut up! Afranius, if you still care about military honor." Behind Caesar, the oriental-looking general with hair as black as silk stepped forward and said on Caesar's behalf. "You are the one who laid down your arms and surrendered, so why are you seeking consolation for a substantial defeat here?"

"I have never shied away from my own mistakes and disastrous defeats. In fact, all of us here fulfilled our responsibilities as lieutenants and soldiers to Pompey, because we had no food, no firewood, and no place to camp and rest. I had no choice but to surrender under exhaustion and accept the punishment of the victor, so I personally do not feel any shame." Afranius said tit for tat. "Not ashamed? No one is less qualified to say such words than you. Originally, your soldiers were already leaning towards our peace plan. It was you and the commanders who used violence, coercion and bewitchment for your own selfish interests. The methods drove them to continue to work hard. Many people sadly lost their lives. If I hadn't intercepted you on the other side of the ferry, I don't know how many people would have continued to die in the future war. Is this your honor? Before I entered Lusitania, Marcus Varro, the governor appointed by Pompey and Cato, was old, but he was still forcefully arranged by you to go there. Province, and the same goes for Cicero of Cilicia. You used the reputation of these people to place them everywhere for the purpose of oppressing us. Your soldiers and officials have carried out secret operations in various provinces. The terrorist policy of torture, coercing peaceful residents to hand over their property, and forcing Rome's allies to provide troops and fleets are the ones who are constantly planning the war - the purpose is to persecute the current consul. War is not what you want. And weren’t you the one who issued the ultimatum? Now that we are here and have crossed the Rubicon, we just have more weapons than the tribunes who were assassinated by you and caused bloodshed in the square in history. You just run away in a hurry. , wandering to every corner of the country and continuing to work like dogs, with the previous spirit disappearing like the leftovers in the Maximum drainage ditch. Is the power of your belief nothing more than this! How many more people are you going to torture, including Rome and various provinces? , and the lives of the vassal states, just like Cato the Younger coerced the citizens of Masseria to resist stubbornly, and finally the whole city was destroyed before they gave up. "Lepidus' counterattacks were like his cavalry cannon, continuous. His body gradually moved from the back of Caesar to the center of everyone, like a colosseum for verbal debate.

Afranius originally spoke by relying on his own identity. Among all his colleagues and generals, Sextus was just a young man who had recently served in the army, and Libo came to serve the province as a former law officer. , and Peleitaus was secretly promoted by Pompey in the military system. For this scene, he was the most qualified to question Caesar, but unexpectedly Caesar feinted and gave the answer to A foreign deputy future is completed. His face was a little feverish, and he was a little at a loss, but he still brought up traditions and laws, "There are ultimatums from the Senate and legal provisions. If you cross the Rubicon, it is an act of rebellion against the country."

"What is the Senate! It is nothing more than an advisory body for national policy. When did its ultimatum become legally binding? Or have you oligarchs been so used to private transactions in the Temple of Concordia that you think you can ignore the supreme resolutions of the ten tribunes and the Council of Tebris, and even trample them underfoot - in the conspiracy between Pompey and Cato, did they follow a reasonable procedure to appoint the governors of the provinces of their comrades? Did they get the authorization of the Curia Assembly? When did Rome allow the results of the lottery to appear before the procedure was completed? This is outright bribery. Those who have obtained prominent positions are all Pompey's. He used tricks to block Caesar from the normal election, and used every possible means to exclude and persecute him, pushing himself onto the illegal throne of "Dictator". Then he thought that the sword of Damocles hanging over his head did not exist, and that the Father and the Queen of Heaven, the God of War and Venus, were always watching the virtues and evil deeds of the world, and we were the army chosen by God to punish his behavior! "Unexpectedly, Lepidus actually trampled on the "Senate Ultimatum" that the traditional republicans regarded as the most in his words, and even this institution. Afranius kept retreating, and he was retreating step by step, just like before on the battlefield.