Augustus Road

The stars reappeared above the sea, and in the sky, the weather in Africa also changed extremely quickly. In just half of the night, the rain turned into an even more sweltering heat, steaming around the camp, "summer" This term is branded on the skin and heart of every soldier with the most real heat.

After about the end of the fourth sentry hour, the legion led by Lepidus set off, with the goal of Zeta City. The distance was sixteen Roman miles, but before setting off, Pope found him and told him about the bows and arrows of the Fifteenth and Twelfth Legions. There were only three out of ten who could use it, all thanks to the previous flood of the warehouse. "Each cavalry brought eight arrows, and each archer brought fifteen arrows." This was the amount of ammunition carried when they finally set off, but Fortunately, most of the infantrymen of the Fifteenth Legion would install five short spears in the grooves of their skinned shields, so they could also supplement the shortage of arrows.

At dawn in the desert, as the rain ends, thousands of gorgeous hazes rise, as if they are wandering above people's heads and on the mountainside. This kind of scene can only be found in this uninhabited area, Lebida After the two legions traveled about ten Roman miles, they discovered a small town called Agaba on the edge of the valley. Then Lepidus immediately called the three cavalry generals Antony, Vercingetorius and Dusonville to lead them. The vanguard cavalry rushed in and found that there were no residents in the town. They either fled or lost their lives in the chaos. There were still several corpses of slaves lying in the trenches around the town. They were probably afraid of being burdened before leaving. The one that had been killed by its owner was already highly putrid and buzzing with flies. The town is not big, with about a hundred houses. It rises above the surrounding desert on all sides. There is also trench guarding. "They didn't even take away the window lattice or door panels. They must have been running in a hurry. They were probably afraid that they would be plundered and slaughtered by the Numidian cavalry." Dusonville said after riding in a circle.

Vercingetorio, who was more cautious, took the first step to run to the ditches and wells on the edge of the town. He took a few cans of water with his soldiers and let the pack horses and hounds drink a lot. After observing for a while, he was relieved. . It is said that the water source in this town is not polluted or poisoned, and we can use this as a base.

Anthony was different from the previous two. He kicked open the door of the most magnificent house and began to rummage through the cabinets in search of fine wine and delicious food. His followers kept reminding him that under such a situation, what else could he do? Can such a thing be found?

"Don't lie to me, I am also a well-known person who has been to Egypt to fight. The environment here is similar to that of Perusium, Egypt. People there like to build huge basements. It is under the main hall." As he spoke, Anthony blasted the floor He had to open it, and there was indeed a mystery underneath. He snapped his fingers proudly, as expected.

At this time, Anthony's discovery was simply astonishing. Almost every household in Agaba town had a basement, no matter how big or small. There was a lot of barley, dried figs, oil, and some wheat flour stored in it. But Anthony was disappointed because there was no wine at all. The supplies are all used by residents to prepare for war and famine, so there is no such luxury as wine. Lepidus, who then arrived with the legionary infantry, ordered the army to collect half of the supplies and leave the other half. He also threw down some silver coins and wrote "Emergency Requisition" in Greek on the wall of the basement, and then walked along the town of Agaba. A simple fortress was built. "On the next day, our army will attack the city of Zeta to obtain more supplies, leaving Anthony and Vercingetorius with two thousand cavalry and light infantry to take care of them in this temporary fortress."

At dawn the next day, Lepidus' infantry and cavalry roared through the wheat fields and woods under the city of Zeta. The only one who tried to stop them was a 500-man Numidian cavalry, which was completely vulnerable. The battle was only It lasted for half an hour, half of these cavalry were killed and captured, and half escaped. The chief brigade of the Twelve Legions, led by Tagus, rushed into the city first. The person responsible for guarding the city was the knight Lei sent by Scipio. Genus and Atrius, an elder from Utica, were all bound. Immediately, the Twelve Legions skillfully looted all the supplies from the rich households and warehouses in the city, loaded them on their own luggage and mule carts, and drove in the direction of Agaba City.

Lepidus and the Fifteenth Army Corps were stationed outside the city gate and sent out scouts from a distance. When the Twelfth Army Corps escorted Zeta City's supplies and advanced along the valley, they served as rear troops and followed the guards. .

Soon, the scout cavalry ran over in panic, saying that in the valley to the west of Zeta City, there was dust stirred up by horse hooves and thunderous sounds everywhere, and many people and horses were approaching here.

"It can't be Caesar's troops, it must be Pompey's army coming to attack us!" Lepidus then asked the token officer to clap his horse forward and inform the front army that all legion infantrymen would still have their luggage and baggage in the middle, sandwiched on both sides, holding hands Good shield, ready for battle!

Soon, enemy soldiers and horses were charging from all over the mountains and plains. Most of them were Mauritanian cavalry, accompanied by Numidian javelinmen. Behind them, Rabinus personally held the battle, and their approaching speed was like a strong wind.

"Hoola!" The soldiers of the 15th Legion formed a defensive formation, waiting patiently and bravely for the enemy's vanguard to approach. Then they shouted, and fired a wave of short spears with one arm like electricity. The enemy's cavalry and light infantry were A large piece fell immediately. They thought the enemy would throw hunting spears, so when the short spears flew, they thought they were at a safe distance.

But this time the enemy did not retreat. Many people stepped on the corpses of their companions and threw javelins at the 15th Legion. For a time, the sound of spears and javelins from both sides pierced the air, and many people in the 15th Legion were injured immediately. The commander Selha, who was supervising the battle at the front, was also hit and fell to death.

Selha, who had changed his horse, was so angry that he ordered the forward infantry to launch a counterattack, and after a fierce battle, they were driven back to the other side of the valley.

"Keep going, don't delay." Lepidus watched the enemy retreat, but when he saw Labienus still stationed on the ridgeline, he knew that this battle was far from simple, so he hurriedly gave the order.

As a result, the front army, that is, Tagus's troops who were walking in the front, were suddenly attacked by the enemy. Countless lightly-armed cavalry and infantry poured out from the mountains on the side, violently throwing javelins at them, and The archers attached to the legion had a very limited number of arrows. After a few rounds of shooting, they ran out of ammunition. They could only draw their short swords and escort the baggage mule train like foot infantry. They endured casualties and ran towards Agaba.

As a result, before Lepidus's rear army had gone a hundred steps, Rabinus' second round of attacks came again. It was still a swarm of light-armed troops carrying javelins and pressing forward quickly. "Calm down!" Calm down." The soldiers of the 15th Legion formed their formation again. Each of them suppressed a fire in their hearts. If they had brought enough arrows today, they would have defeated you all!

.

,