"There are no gates, no news, and the city is as heavily guarded as ever. Appis, could that old man have deceived us? ”

Three days later, the Roman army arrived at the eastern gates of Lilli, but when the scheduled time came, the gates were still closed, and Crane became impatient, and even doubted the sincerity of Crucinas, suspecting that he was merely a liar.

"No, he doesn't have to deceive us, he won't get anything good by deceiving us. I wonder if the city's defenders noticed Krusinus's movements, tied him up, or put him under house arrest. Don't let him be with us inside and out. In my opinion, this is more likely. ”

Appis chatted with Klein in the shade of a tree.

"Alas, if this is really the case, are we going to continue the siege? You're right, judging from the feedback from the navy, the seawall is very strong and uses a lot of stone. Anthony's henchmen in the city are really frenzied, how many houses and public buildings they have to tear down to build the embankment in the city. ”

"No, there is no need to force a siege. Loss of our soldiers. Our soldiers are not like Anthony's army, who regarded the lives of those Eastern mercenaries as a mustard, but we are different, and the soldiers who follow us are veterans of many years of war. Even though we have been defeated by the barbarians before, those who remain are elites. If it weren't for the urgency of the situation, there would be no need to forcibly attack the city and sacrifice the soldiers. Almost all of Sicily is now occupied by us, and the legion has sufficient logistical supplies to slowly wear down with the defenders of the city. Of course, it doesn't take too long. In fact, I already have a new idea. ”

Looking at the cloudy sky, Apis said thoughtfully......

The next day, the legions withdrew from the eastern gate of Lilibal and moved on to the upper reaches of the Gobis River in the southeast of Lilibal. It is a small river that flows through the city, and although the volume of water is not large, it is the rainy season......

Over the next few days, more than 10,000 men of the Ninth and Gallic Legions dug a channel in the small river, diverting the water and damming the original main channel. With the completion of the dam fortifications, the tributaries were also blocked, causing the water level to rise, and after that, heavy rains came......

Fire and water are ruthless, in fact, this method of attacking a city may be more brutal than a direct siege. But in order to reduce his own losses, Appis had to do the same. The clouds remained in Sicily for nearly a week, until the water level rose sharply and the river upstream had accumulated a large amount of potential energy, at which point Appis gave the order to destroy the dam.

In an instant, the flood was like a rushing beast, rushing from the upper reaches of the broken levee to the city.

Appis knew that the inhabitants of the city were going to suffer......

In the pouring rain, Appis and the officers climbed the hill outside the city, and watched as the pale yellow torrent roared with astonishing force towards the city of Lili. In a few moments, the entire city wall of Lilibal collapsed under the terrible impact of the flood, and after that, the water flooded the city's streets and alleys like a giant.

The screams of the soldiers and inhabitants of the city could not be heard from such a distance, but one could imagine what a terrible scene it was, as if it were the end of the world.

…………

The day after the flood, the Gallic legions, marching on muddy ground and carrying large shiny shields, began to enter the city. The flood-breached walls show no signs of being repaired. Obviously, the floods of the previous two days had left the defenders of the city overwhelmed. Perhaps this has not yet recovered from the damage of the flood.

Sure enough, when Klein stepped into the city with the Gallic legions, it was like a refugee camp, and everyone was lost and had no courage to fight. The horror in their eyes sent chills through Klein's eyes, and he wondered what they had experienced last night.

When Antony's soldiers saw the Roman army entering the city, they first tried to resist, then dropped their weapons and fled, or simply knelt down to surrender.

"They're running out of fighting spirit."

Crane pointed to the Roman soldier who was kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy, and said to his companion beside him.

"Yes, however, we must find Aquinus, who is the commander-in-chief of the Lilian garrison."

"Apis has blocked the sea, and we will find him sooner or later."

Klein said. The standard ruffian grin.

Then, after making sure that there was no longer a threat in the city, more legions and GIs entered the city. The streets were littered with swollen bodies that had been soaked and swollen, and after the flood, the bodies were scattered in the streets or on the roofs of houses, apparently those who had not had time to flee during the day yesterday, and were scattered by the floods, and this morning after the water level dropped, they were lying on houses in various neighborhoods. There were a few rats still scurrying around the corpses, and perhaps for them, the corpses were a good meal......

……

"Appis, you're a bloodthirsty beast, look what you've done? Let the Romans flood their own towns, and say that I am a hundred times more vicious than I am, Apis, and now let the people of Rome see your hypocrisy. I was found by you, and I can't wait for Anthony's reinforcements, but even if I die today, I can't change your reputation for killing people! ”

When Aquinus, the commander of the city, was found, he was standing in the cloister of the Temple of Mars with a group of loyal guards, praying for the last courage from the god of war. Then, a group of people drew their swords and vowed to fight Apis to the last drop of blood.

"Why bother? Aquinus, do you think that if you fight with all your might, shed your last drop of blood, the world will remember your bravery and perseverance? Will Anthony remember your loyalty and fearlessness? Will he still build a monument for you after you die? You are too naïve, Aquinus, and your death is as insignificant as an ant in this world. No one cares what you did and what you said today. History is written by the victors, am I a tyrant? No, in fact, Lili is where it is today, and it is all caused by you. It was you who ruined the city. Just as when I led my legions to Africa, Agrippa was trapped by me in Lepotis, and I sent people to sue for peace again and again, but he did not agree, so I had to attack the city. It's the same as it is here today. The magistrate Krusinas had already submitted to me, and he was willing to put an end to the civil strife here in a peaceful way, but you, you did not agree, and you killed him, and thus cut off the hope and retreat of the 30,000 Roman people in the city. It was you who brought them to the brink of destruction. ”

Standing across from Aquinus, Apis said aloud.

No matter what you say, the key is who is the leader......