Augustus Road

Seeing this scene, Labienus didn't know what to say, and he didn't know what happened to Scipio during his imprisonment in Egypt, but he did feel a feeling of sympathy in his heart.

This time Scipio's tone was rare and kind, and what he said next was even more surprising, "The command of this war zone in Zeta is entirely entrusted to you. I will only stay here for a while and then return to Utica. Recruit more troops for you in the name of the enemy, and then you and Lelias will cooperate sincerely to resist Lepidus' army. And I personally think that the main force should not be concentrated on the coast. When I was in Egypt, I heard that. The terrifying combat power of Lepidus' fleet, whose ships can fire wooden bombs capable of destroying all wooden palisades and ramparts, means that the army is seeking death on the coast. "

"Yes, yes." Rabinus still can't believe his ears, "So I set up the camp in Zeta, deep inland, and deployed light Mauritanian cavalry on the coast to harass. To lengthen Lepidus' supply line, "".s. Once he lands on the coast, he will be unable to move."

"Very good, it seems that you and I have reached an agreement." Scipio said slowly with a meditative tone, and then said to Rabinus, "Go and organize the overall defense affairs, I will I also want to go to the backyard to watch the hippopotamus fight in the mud pit." After saying that, the great father-in-law stood up from the bench very solemnly, and several monkeys jumped on the chair, and then flew on his shoulders. With a noisy voice, Scipio nodded politely to everyone present, and then walked out along the side corridor. Soon after, the roar and roar of the hippo could be heard in the backyard. Rabinus still stood there in a daze. Until Condiceus called him. Then he realized, "He has indeed changed a lot!"

"Yes, you haven't seen that those monkeys are almost as close as growing on his shoulders." Condisius commented when he walked to the flower gallery.

"No, I think it's just Metra Cornelius Scipio growing on a few monkeys. Oh, I'm sorry, please forgive my rude remarks to the top." Rabinus blurted out these words. of.

But Condisius obviously had no intention of respecting the superior, and he continued to talk. "Do you know what Scipio is going back to Utica for? He heard that the King of Juba had reinforced the great Pompey with many war elephants, so he wanted to go personally to supervise and train these beasts."

"So, what happened to him in Egypt?" Rabinus was still puzzled. Until he saw the slaves starting to throw frogs into the crocodile pond, he could only shrug and leave.

Amid the strong winds, Lepidus' fleet finally approached the coast of Libya in October, but only close. Because the wind was really too strong, Li Bida felt it now. The ships built by humans are so small in front of the God of Nature. They were like this in the era he lived in before, let alone in this era. Although the oarsmen imitated the habits and traditions of the Phoenicians, they placed on the bow of the ship. Put up a wooden horse head to "avoid the wind and waves", but this is just a psychological effect. "The land of Africa has arrived!" the lookout on the mast shouted. Lepidus, who was hiding in the corner of the bridge to take shelter from the wind, lifted up the leather canvas covering himself from the wind, and then he did see a line of dark mountains and beaches. I asked the experienced navigator next to me where this was in Africa. "It's Krupaia! Ahead is Nepolis." The navigator took a moment to judge the terrain signs and replied.

"Then send a signal to call all ships to the shore," said the cavalry commander.

But the navigator and helmsman disagreed. They protested to the cavalry commander that there were many rocks and cliffs along the coast of Krupaia, and there were probably enemy cavalry hiding in the valleys. If they docked hastily at this time, their men would suffer a great deal. "Those who do not understand the ocean cannot understand the land at all." Lepida was choked by the helmsman, but he could only hold back. He had no choice but to listen to them here.

As a result, the lookout soon shouted again. It turned out that Pompey's ship appeared in the opposite sea area, probably coming from Kerki Island. It was a large island with freshwater rivers and forests. It is a perfect fleet base. Lepidus' fleet was guarded in front by battleships like bird wings, while all flat-bottomed transport ships were concentrated in the rear. This could prevent the enemy fleet from flanking and break through their interception and blockade.

Coincidentally, the commander-in-chief of Pompey's fleet happened to be General Nasidius, who had failed miserably in the previous Battle of Masseria, and his two lieutenants were Milochi who had previously been stationed at Port Olikoum. Us and Vespiro, these three were all defeated by Lepidus. When they saw the other party's flag, they were frightened out of their wits. Then they pulled up the sails and fled in the direction of Kerki Island. Then Lepidus' fleet was also in chaos in the strong wind. Some battleships directly chased Pompey's ships, some continued to move forward, and some were preparing to dock, waiting until the already blurry After the sun set in the west, Lepidah could only control dozens of ships around him.

In the early morning, when the wind weakened, Lepidus took inventory of the ships that were still following him, and then asked the navigator where they were. The navigator climbed up to the high tower on the bow of the ship and watched for a while, but reluctantly said that he was not sure. , but we followed the strong wind to get here last night. According to inference, we may have crossed Leptis City.

At this point, everyone's mood was horrified. This was no joke. Fortunately, Lepidus had made preparations in advance. He set up two deputy flagships, led by Peteneus and Cehar, respectively, so that the command of the entire huge fleet could be effectively strengthened.

Then these two should be able to gather most of the ships. Now even if we have crossed Leptis, we have to go ashore first. Lepidus carefully asked the navigator and helmsman for instructions, and after getting approval, he ordered all ships to dock.

It was indeed right to listen to the professionals at sea. It was a gentle and winding sandy land. The ships docked and anchored smoothly. The oarsmen began to take the small boat and went ashore first. They drove the wooden stakes to tie the boats and then began to look for water sources. There was an isolated high ground two furlongs ahead of the beach.

Then the centurion began to count the number of soldiers and horses that went ashore. In the end, Lepidus found that he was accompanied by only half of the Sixth Legion, about 2,500 people, and 200 Vipicinus cavalry. "Light a bonfire on the beach and raise the silver eagle flag, so that the rest of the ships will try their best to get closer to us!" Lepidus stood in the shallow water, and then he asked all the cavalry to gallop to the high ground to camp and monitor the situation around them. After the rest of the infantry had set up camp, they would scout the surrounding cities and confirm their positions.

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