Augustus Road

In front of the eagle flag, Caesar's armor shone with golden light. He looked at Lepidus with certainty and said: "You are the commander-in-chief of the siege army. You have the final say in everything. Remember to give everything you get." Just give it to the soldiers."

On the same day, Lepidus led his guards and subordinates towards the city of Olikoum. After walking a section of the Egnatia Avenue, he led the cavalry and left the infantry brigade, and walked straight down the narrow valley. In less than half a day, we arrived at the siege position of this seaside town.

The 8th and 20th legions sent by Antony from the city of Lysas have already arrived here, and then their respective commanders handed copies of the soldier and sentry duty rosters to the camp of Chief Lieutenant-General Lepidus.

"Sabo, bring up the sand tray." Lepidus hurriedly drank a few sips of water and got busy. All the senior centurions and tribunes immediately gathered around. Their long military career made them all understand the general's style. : Once it enters the stage of the general offensive, there will be no such sloppy words, the mission will be clearly clarified directly, and then the battle will be supervised.

"There is nothing difficult about my tactics this time. Just before the arrival of General Antony's [top][point] novel's legion, the Olikum people were still talking loudly there, and sent out cavalry many times to hurt our ashore. Soldiers and military slaves, their Council of Elders have repeatedly claimed that they are the strongest and last barrier in the entire Epirus region, and will be the heroes of the republic's reconstruction in the future. Today we will crush their illusions and interrupt their ambitions. Backbone, crush their cities, seize their ships, and sell all their men and women into slavery. My plan is to attack one side of the city without interruption. All commanders and centurions must be good at separating the teams and connecting them to take turns. This is a task that seems easy but is very troublesome to implement, so thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency Dictado also agreed to wait for us. After the city is defeated, all the spoils do not need to be handed over to the treasurer!" Lepida made an impassioned speech, and his meaning was obvious, and he wanted to use this to stimulate the enthusiasm of everyone.

Just as Li Bida had just finished decorating. Several nobles from Olikum City came to the camp in despair and begged Lepidus to grant them surrender. They also begged and said that they had previously handed over thirty hostages to Lepidus. In fact, this meant that they In the middle of the fight between Pompey and Caesar, they couldn't help themselves, and they tentatively asked: "Excuse me, General, have you punished these thirty noble hostages?"

"No, I still receive and protect them in the camp according to the standards of the nobles, even in the most difficult moments." Lepidah's answer made these envoys feel that there is still hope for peaceful surrender and saving the city. So I shed tears and was grateful to Lepidah for his magnanimity. And beg him to show the magnanimity a good person should have at this time.

As a result, Lepidus sneered and asked the envoy, "Just before the situation changed, didn't your town still vow to follow Pompey's footsteps to the death? Their legions had already withdrawn, and the time left for you was originally It is very abundant, but your town has no sincerity and no act of surrender during this period. You have repeatedly attacked and killed our lone soldiers and used cruel methods. Now you rely on these lies to win the army. Sympathy! Then, I tell you now, the inevitable outcome of your town is destruction!"

When the whole word "destruction" was uttered, the envoys of Olikum City all trembled. They howled and expressed their willingness to hand over all the wealth in the city temple warehouse, a total of one hundred and fifty talents of gold. The debt of three hundred talents of silver must be paid off within ten years, but Lebida remained unmoved at all, "Don't these gold and silvers belong to me immediately? Why should I give them to you?"

In the end, the negotiations were not successful at all. The day after the envoys were expelled, the general attack on Olikum by all the legions began without delay!

This war was also the best opportunity for Lepidus to ask Pope in advance to experiment with the improved "Samontoga" organ cannon - six guns, each with thirty-two chutes, arranged up and down, densely packed like a honeycomb. "New Samontoga", with a strange scream of friction between fire and air, it spit out cork rockets like raindrops. The irritating smoke filled the entire launching position, causing the soldiers waiting behind to go into battle to cover their faces with cloth. , but still had tears and runny nose.

The rain of fire burned down half of the city of Olikum. The merchant ships and fishing boats on the port, the pier plank road, and the arcades on the streets were all burned crazily. Then, the two "Masselia Lady Cannons" and the four wild donkey trebuchets also focused on the weakest wall of Olikoum with iron-wood poles and stone bullets, and then the legions on all sides They all formed a shield formation, pushing battering rams, rolling wooden towers and harp flying ladders, climbing up and attacking from all directions like ants. The residents of Olikum originally came to join the army in small numbers, and they had to take care of themselves. There is no way to organize defense work for a family business that is in flames. Therefore, from the actual attack to the final fall of the city, it only took half a day.

Slave markets and auction markets were soon erected under the city, and traders from Illyria and Italy were like swarms of flies finding carrion. "As long as you have cash, who allows you to use the nameplate of the previous national debt to top up the amount?" Yes, go back!" Several centurions beat the financial slaves with woven tubes and pottery urns with nameplates. Most of them were domestic slaves of the senators in Rome. They tried to cash in the national debt, but they were scolded like this. with beatings.

As for the original wealth in the city, it was all looted. After Lepidus finished converting it, part of it was sent to Bugalotum, and the rest were all rewarded on the spot. Then Lepidus promised all the soldiers: "Go to Thessaly immediately, there will be a greater opportunity to make a fortune. It is best to spend half of this money within three days, and the rest will be kept in the treasury of the Soldier Committee." These big soldiers really didn't have any concept of saving. On weekdays, all the spoils were packed in their personal luggage (now that there is a soldier committee, it is much better, at least when they retire, they can save a lot of resettlement expenses). When they encounter the camp market open day, they squander it on women, gambling and drinks. This time is no exception. Lepidus announced that Olikum became an ownerless city-many refugees, prostitutes and adventure merchants from the surrounding areas came to do business and then settled here.

"You should thank the goddess of fate for being able to stay by my side and avoid bad luck as the unlucky hostages before. Now, the thirty of you will immediately become members of the Elders' Council of Olikum. If your fellow nobles have the financial resources to redeem them, you can do so." Before leaving for Thessaly, Lepidus called the original thirty hostages and made such a request to them. (To be continued...)