Augustus Road

Taktun is an important place connecting Bithynia, Pontus, and the Anatolian Mountains. Twenty years ago, it was originally the forward base for Mithridates VI to conquer the west. Later, it was used by Roman generals. Kuras captured it, and now it is a strong barrier guarded by King Eubotia's army. [ ..

The five thousand small Eubotian kings were recruited by Adiana before the war, who spent all the royal treasury and all the gold and silver. They were from Cappadocians, Galatians, and Pompeii. The mixed army of pirates who had been relocated was here tenaciously guarding Taktun, resisting the legions of Brutus and the Legion of Bronze Shields re-organized by Menander. The two together numbered no less than fifteen thousand. people.

In the room in the core tower of the city, Her Royal Highness the Queen holds a sword in her hand and sits on a small ivory carved armchair. She has loose chestnut hair curls hanging down, covered with a brown lynx hair cloak, and a gold medal hanging around her fair and slender neck. Box pendant, a large group of confidential slaves, maids and guard warriors around him are constantly busy, counting various data and battle situations:

"The letters requesting help to Galaxia and Armenia have been sent, and three thousand archers and cavalry should be sent here soon to reinforce us."

"The document for using lake salt in exchange for payment has been signed, stamped with the queen's seal, and will be sent to the Jewish Chamber of Commerce immediately."

"General Decimus of the Roman Province of Syria has declared neutrality for the third time. Our backyard should not be disturbed by them."

"Soldiers' salaries can be extended for another six months. We still have so much savings in the treasury that there will be no risk of shortage."

"Today, the enemy army wanted to detour back to the side of Taktun City and cut off our two routes. However, they were blocked by the trenches and fortresses dug by our army. We won the victory and killed 200 of the enemy. cavalry."

After hearing this, a satisfied smile appeared on Adiana's lips, and then a personal slave girl fell at her feet with great excitement, holding a scroll in her hand, and said, "Here comes the letter from the Roman cavalry commander."

"Chief of the Cavalry? He has actually become the dictator's deputy!" Adiana was even more proud. She took the letter and read it. Then he couldn't hold back his excitement and walked to the crossbow emplacement outside the tower, which happened to overlook the entire fortress and the enemy's siege position.

Originally, when Adiana marched into Silesia and drove away Cicero, she suddenly turned back and captured the city of Tactun because she had long expected that the decisive enemy would come from the north, especially those who hated her to the core. The Menanders, so within three months of the time difference. She presided over a large-scale renovation and reinforcement of the fortress of Taktun, first surrounding the old city. A new city wall with a circumference of fifty stadias was built. The city wall was located on the high ground facing the enemy. Below it was a deep stream with a steep slope. The slopes were all covered with dense pickets and javelin heads. Then Adiana He also built a huge core granary and weapons depot with independent city walls, enough for five thousand people to eat and fight for two years. On the tower of the city wall, she had already spent a lot of money to hire Philo, a Greek mathematician and engineer from Samos, and designed the tower to have a protruding jagged shape. The transmissive ballistae above had been accurately measured and could fire without blind spots. to anywhere below. On both sides of the castle, where it connects to the canyon, Adiana built a barrier wall respectively, guarding Taktun like two arms. Each has an independent camp at the back, with corridors and streets, and Taktun and the rear. The hinterland of the kingdom is connected, which can effectively prevent roundabout sneak attacks by the enemy's light infantry and cavalry. Today Brutus sent a detachment of ala cavalry to prepare for such a thing. As a result, in front of the trench and wooden fence, they were shot by Adiana. The soldiers were killed so much that they lost their armor. Although the capture figures reported by his subordinates to the queen were exaggerated, Brutus still lost at least thirty to fifty cavalry.

In front of the sharp stakes of the trench, there were many bloody corpses of men and horses, and some Eubotian soldiers were cleaning up there. This scene impressed Adiana, and she felt even more courageous, "Hold on until Calabis When the army comes, I will annihilate Menander’s Bronze Shield Legion in one go. Now it seems that there is no problem at all.”

After thinking about it, Adiana, who smiled, called the maid over and said, "How many slave girls in the palace are accompanying you this time?" The maid replied that there were about fifty people, all of whom had been trained in dance and folk arts. Diana was silent, and then said that the fifty female slaves should be put on makeup at night and sent to the camp of the meritorious soldiers, taking away a gift of one hundred drachma silver coins for each of them. Then, Adiana sent a provocative letter to the besieged Menander camp:

"You and that wretched maid Stratonis, through despicable means, falsely claimed that your two filthy illegitimate children were my father's children, bribed the villains around Pompey, and stole the kingdom of Bosporus. The fertile and vast land is still not satisfied, and you don't know how to fear the gods. You have unreasonable delusions and took advantage of the civil war between the Romans to land in the old kingdom of Pontus. You two are still trying to usurp Pontus based on your humble background. The throne of the king? Now after a month and a half of siege, the combined army of you and the Roman rebels can't get past the city of Taktun. This is not enough to show the contrast between strength and wisdom. No matter what, Zeus is standing by me. From here, because I am an authentic descendant of the royal family of Mitra, and my child is also the authentic grandson of His Majesty Eubert. Immediately, the cavalry commander of the Roman Republic came to this city with a large number of elites from five legions. , your ashes with faint sparks will soon melt like thin ice in the coming spring. Now blind your eyes and exile your noble couple, poison your traitorous son to death, and give up the entire Bosporus Kingdom. In this situation, I can also consider giving the noble couple a way to survive." In addition, there is also a sachet in the box where the letter is.

Menander asked his attendant to open it, and the attendant carefully opened it and fed it to a certain hound in the camp. As a result, the beast only licked a few mouthfuls of the powder inside, and then trembled in pain, screamed loudly, and turned into a dog. Has a stiff body.

This was Adiana's naked intimidation method. She was obviously proficient in the dark-night tactics that her late father used to appear before his death. However, she did not poison the letter or scroll, but only put the poison in a conspicuous sachet, in order to attack Menander. Demonstration, "If I want to take your life, it will be easy."

"I just had an affair with a Roman military slave and gave birth to a wild child of unknown origin. She claimed to be the grandson of Eubert. This kind of slut who abandoned the dignity of Mitra's royal family is worthy of writing a letter and shouting ! Immediately I will capture the castle in front of me and massacre everyone including her!" Menander threw the letter at his feet angrily when he saw the scene in front of him. (To be continued...)