Augustus Road

"We must stop the pagans from using slings and bows to attack Christians." - One of the resolutions of the Second Lateran Council (1139)

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As expected, Achilles did not go to bed in the command room of the naval commander in front of the Sinop breakwater. When Stratonis's sedan chair landed at the front door, the old-school naval commander seemed to be in a heated discussion with someone. When the queen entered the room under the guidance of the eunuchs and maids, she only saw a few wounded officers, scattered official documents, and flickering candlelight. Achilles stood in the middle of the crowd. His face could not be seen clearly, but his tone sounded extremely sad:

"I still have Twelve decked ships and fifty or sixty smaller rowing boats, but these alone could not hold the city, not to mention that the Purple Sail Pirates had already surrendered to Adiana, and Caesar had already won a decisive victory throughout Greece and the East. Officers, I have heard more terrible news from you tonight, my God! "

"Is there any more terrible news than the death of my husband, the King of the Kingdom of Bosporus?" At this moment, Stratonice rushed in, and then when she saw the officers of the Bronze Shield Army who had escaped and lowered their heads in silence and shame, she understood the bad luck that Menander had suffered, and immediately held the handle of the chair in the command room, almost fainting with grief.

Achilles also sighed, his hair was already gray, and he had served at sea for nearly forty years, and now he could only announce it with regret. "Unfortunately, Menander suffered the same fate as the former emperor. And your wife has become a widow again." Then, several fleet commanders came to Achilles and said something in a very unclear manner, as if to urge Achilles to make some kind of decision.

"My naval commander, after all, I am a woman who has served the emperor. Please don't treat me as an ignorant village girl. If the fleet officers of the Kingdom of Bosphorus have any ideas at this moment, you might as well shine them under the candlelight. Be frank." Stratonice had a premonition of something, so she suppressed her fear and anxiety, supported the handle, and asked calmly.

Achilles scratched his hair in embarrassment, and then said what Stratonice didn't want to hear the most, "Our kingdom collapsed after Menander's death, so the officers and soldiers of the fleet decided to surrender all ships to the enemy after a serious and fair discussion. In addition, the city of Sinope will also be handed over to Adiana, no. The princess of Pontus." But the officers of the Bronze Shield Army started to make a fuss. They were still unwilling to betray their master. Even though Menander had died in the battle, they swore to continue to be loyal to the son of Menander and Stratonice, Prince Pharnabyses.

"So, in your eyes, she has become the princess of Pontus again..." Stratonice laughed bitterly, mocking these men, and then she suddenly burst out, "Are the sons of Menander and I not princes? You fleet personnel have been on the sea for a long time, and you have all learned to change your course according to the wind. You, Achilles, were the long-time attendant and comrade-in-arms of the former emperor. You two have fought from Greece to Asia Minor, and then to the Black Sea. You have never left us in such difficult times. Why do we still have a strong and prosperous country now? The city, and there is a vast land on the other side of the ocean as a backing, you are actually going to surrender without firing a shot? What does Adiana have? Her biological mother Monime was unwilling to even have sex with the emperor. Who knows where this wild cat she-wolf came from? Her child is of even more despicable origin. It was born from an affair between Adiana and a Roman military slave she met during her captivity. Adiana is the one who tarnished the dignity of the entire Pontic royal family. Now you are actually going to rely on such a dirty person for temporary benefits and compromise! "

"Madam, please Allow me to repeat, Sinop cannot be defended, and the Kingdom of Bosporus has perished, so it is meaningless to continue struggling. "Achilles said coldly, "Please understand that I am not a greedy general. Even when the emperor was besieged by rebel soldiers and forced to commit suicide, the entire army sent me a crown made of reeds, but I still refused it. So I am only responsible for the future of my subordinates." After speaking, Achilles' eyes flashed a few times, and a group of fully armed soldiers immediately appeared around the command room. , surrounded everyone, "Respected former princess Stratonice, this is a letter sent to you by Adiana on a fast horse. In order to ensure that you can take the time to read it, I have to do this, please forgive me."

Achilles changed the title to "former princess", and the trend was already very obvious, or before Stratonice came, all the officers who stayed behind and the fleet knew the outcome of the Battle of the Amasya Valley, and they conspired together to succeed - they "returned" to the command of the legitimate princess Adiana of Pontus and served loyally.

Several young officers of the Bronze Shield Army were captured by Achilles' subordinates just as they were about to take action out of anger. The helpless Stratonice trembled and opened the box, and then saw that there was only a bottle of light blue liquid and a bronze plate with a few lines of words engraved on it:

"There is no doubt that I will always be the candidate to revive the empire of this capital. Even if my child is born to the humblest herdsman, he is still a descendant of his father and a Lin'er with the blood of Mitra's royal family. And you are Tratonis, you should have died ten years ago. Isn’t that your duty as your father’s concubine?”

There was a clanking sound, and there was a small sign under the nameplate, which seemed to have been added by Adiana later. The words engraved in it were even colder, "After you think about the above problem, you will feel that Fanabisis This child shouldn’t have been born in this world, it was you who harmed him.”

"No!" Stratonis howled in despair. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed to General Achilles, expressing her willingness to die, but still begging to let Pharnabysis go. He was still just a human being. She was willing to tie up the underage child and hand it over to Taktun City, and let Adiana, who was hostile to her, abuse her. "Let my child go, let my child go. He is willing to give up the qualification to inherit the crown." , I only want to be the humblest herdsman.”

Achilles helped the former princess who was crying, and then just said, "We have sent troops to your palace. I believe that Phanabises will not be in great pain."

Then, all the soldiers and officers turned their backs and surrounded Stratonis. This woman had completely collapsed. She fumbled to get the bottle, and just said, "After arriving in Hades, My whole family is reunited. If I continue to fight with you, Adiana, yes, I have lost everything, so just accept the punishment." Then, she drank the blue-grey liquid in one gulp and twitched violently. After shaking for a while, he lay on the floor, his face turned gray, white foam was spitting from his mouth, his hair withered instantly, and he died. (To be continued...)