Augustus Road

"If God wants to openly oppose people, it will be difficult for anyone to deal with him." ——Homer

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"At that time, after we landed in Africa, we were also stationed between Utica and the old camp of Cornelius. Some soldiers accidentally unearthed several golden statues from the ruins of Carthage and made a fortune. As a result, Appius Si shouted that when Carthage was destroyed, the Punic people buried countless treasures underground. As a result, under his leadership, all the soldiers stopped digging trenches and brought shovels and pickaxes. The old site of Carthage was dug all over, but nothing was found in the end." Pompey could hardly stand upright with laughter as he spoke.

The same was true for Peletaeus, but he still insisted on answering. "Finally, the soldiers got angry. They lifted Appius and threw him into the pit they dug, saying that if he dug no more, he would not be able to dig it. If something comes out, bury him alive."

"Finally, I actually asked Appius to dig out a few copper coins." After saying these words, Pompey was so happy that he almost laughed with Peleitaus.

Then the two fell silent again, "How did Appius die in the end? On Crete or in the Black Sea?"

"In Crete, he was the first to climb up to the top of the pirate stronghold. He was hit by a javelin, then fell down and died. He finally fell into a pit." Peleitaus replied. . Pompey stopped talking. He stared at the setting sun and said, "When Sulla disapproved of my triumphal ceremony, I said something to him. People love the rising sun but not the setting sun. Unexpectedly. Today I have reached such a situation. But I cannot die in great mourning surrounded by my friends, my wife and my children. I am not the lover of Venus, I am the champion of Mercury. Tavus, promise me, I will personally take over the command of the two legions in the battle immediately and fight jointly with the two legions of Turas. You must also fight well with Vibrius, but you and him must One survived."

"Yes. Great General Pompey, whether I or Vibrius survives, your funeral will be properly arranged. I will fight, but not the kind of battle that requires death." Pelletau Si choked up and said.

Pompey nodded, stood up, and said goodbye to his old friends one by one.

In the mansion in the city of Utica, Pompey listened to the sound of bugles outside and stared at the cloak of Alexander the Great hanging on the wall. Cornelia came in and she said quietly. "There's no need to worry about me, I'm used to this fate. It seems that Roman men will eventually die on the battlefield. You shouldn't have any regrets and teach those who dare to be enemies of the great Pompey a lesson!" "That's right too. "Pompeo laughed, and then he sat in front of the mirror. Cornelia took off the cloak knowingly and put it on her husband, although this was a bit funny, because Pompeo, who was in his fifties, was already relatively tall. Because she was fat, the cloak was stretched very tight. Cornelia strangled it several times before it was over. With this force, her tears fell silently.

"Hey, Demetrius, my hair, my hair, this doesn't look like Alexander at all!" Pompey pretended not to see his wife's tears, and said relaxedly to Demetrius, who was already crying next to him. The Jewish slaves came forward and combed Pompey the Great's hair with an ox-horn comb.

"This lock of curly hair always hangs in front of the forehead. Doesn't it look funny to people?" Pompeo finally said this.

Demetrius didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He nodded and combed back Pompey's curly hair. It was already mixed with a lot of gray and withered hair, but Demetrius It was combed very carefully, and in the end Pompey's hairstyle was really the same as the profile of the emperor on the silver coin.

Pompey was very satisfied and nodded. Then he got up and said to Cornelia and Demetrius, as if to explain the aftermath, "My two sons, Laus and Sextus, now command the fleet. , fighting on the Balearic Islands, there is no need to worry about them, because they are the sons of Pompey, and it is entirely up to them to decide whether to fight or surrender. If this battle is unfavorable, I will not spare my life, so Demetrius stayed. "As he spoke, Pompey took out several special wax plates from the bronze and gold boxes. "This is my family's property. To be honest, the Pompey family has owned tens of thousands of dollars since my father's time. Slaves from famous families and three thousand talents of land. I can form three legions by spreading the assets. But it is a pity that if I guess correctly, these assets should have been confiscated by Caesar and Lepidus. Some of it was sold by me to pay for the army, but now I leave it in your hands, Demetrius, and do what you can to make some remaining money for my wife Cornelia. , I’m so sorry for you, dear.”

Cornelia burst into tears and threw herself into Pompey's arms, saying, "My father has gone insane, and you -"

"Don't cry, don't cry. Men are responsible for going to the battlefield and dying, while women are responsible for living well and strongly. Isn't this the rule in the Roman world?" Pompey briefly comforted his wife, then pushed her away, handed the wax tablet to Demetrius, and said, "Although you and I are in a master-slave relationship, I have freed you in my will. Remember, if you fall into the hands of Lepidus or anyone else in the future, don't fight too much, just tell what you know, I believe they will not embarrass the free people. Demetrius, you also live well, and I will be satisfied if you take care of my family."

Then, the master and servant hugged each other tightly. Then, Pompey said goodbye to all his family and servants, walked out of the house, rode on his warhorse, and headed towards the boiling camp outside the city without looking back.

In the port of Brindisi, soldiers from several legions were boarding the ship in an orderly manner. This was the third and most powerful wave of Caesar's army. At this time, all of Lepidus' fleet came to escort. In front of the tent of the commander-in-chief at the dock camp, Julia suddenly appeared, bringing Leo and Turinus!

"The children said they wanted to see it. Leo wanted to follow papa, and Turinus wanted to see his uncle." This was Julia's explanation to Lepidus, who was wrapped in a blanket and holding the two children.

Lepidus looked at the two children of the same age in their early teens. Leo's eyes were obviously afraid of being blamed. He was very nervous and pinched the leather box on his chest, which contained pens and books; while Turinus lowered his head calmly, and there was no expression on his face.

"Turinus, as your guardian, I must ask you clearly, why are you going to Africa to meet your uncle?" Lepidus asked. From the perspective of social tradition and ethics, he had no reason to blame the two children. Roman boys had to complete their childhood education at the age of seven and their academic education at the age of thirteen. They began to enter society and prepare for marriage.

So before taking up public office at the age of thirty, military service and debate were indispensable experiences. Now they wanted to follow Lepidus to see the world, which was no problem at all. (.)