"Where did Sulena go?!"

"You can't catch up, he has fled the land. Most of them quietly withdrew during the night. ”

On the fourth day, when the Roman legions braved the enemy's rain of arrows to rush to the heights, they found that there were not many Parthian troops left in the entire heights. The wounded lay on the dry ground waiting to die, and there was no one to take care of them. The Parthian soldiers who could fight took up their short bows and rushed to the front line. Apis grabbed a Parthian army commander lying on the ground, the knight had a sword cut in his leg and could no longer walk, and was violently pulled to his feet by Apis, and replied with difficulty.

"Damn it! Damn it! ”

Not only Appis, but even the surrounding officers roared angrily. They fought hard, and in the end Sulena, the murderer of Crassus Jr., escaped.

"Tell me, why your commander is withdrawing!"

Unwilling to end the game in such a hasty manner, Apis continued to grab the wounded Parthian knight and continued to press.

"I don't know."

The knight said with a look of disdain, and even though he was seriously wounded, he still held his head high and looked directly at Appis.

"Tell me!"

Appis roared in rage, drew his sword from his waist, and rested it on the Parthian knight's neck.

The translator was translating in horror, but in the next sentence, the translator did not dare to translate. I saw that the Oriental knight's lips were constantly shaking.

"Tell me what this brute said."

Apis yelled.

"He said he cursed you, and even if you kill him, you won't know where their commander has gone. Sulena will surely return with a large army to fight again...... Rome...... He said that his soul belonged to Anahita. ”

The interpreter trembled and translated the Parthian knight's words. Then, everyone saw that the ruthless Apis stabbed the short sword into the Parthian knight's throat little by little, and the Parthian knight's blood spurted out, splashing Apis's hands red. Not only the Parthians present, but even the Roman soldiers were stunned, and they watched as the Parthian knight struggled and twitched under the sword of Apis, until he died of exhaustion.

Then Apis got up and shouted at the Parthian soldiers around him—

"I ask you again, why did Sulena withdraw his troops! If anyone knows, it's better to say it now, or you'll end up like him. ”

Appis said, tucking his sword into its scabbard.

The audience was solemn......

"I know...... Don't kill me......"

At last, an old Parthian archer walked up to Appis, knelt down, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Tell me, as long as you tell the truth, I will definitely not kill you, and I will let you return home safely or settle in Syria."

Apis returned.

"Sulena returned to Ctesiphon because King Orodes had recalled him, and it is said that there was a rebellion in the territory, and the rebel army had gathered tens of thousands of people."

The old man of Parthia confessed honestly. He prostrate on the ground, waiting for forgiveness from the Roman commander.

However, Apis wanted to know more than just such an obscure message.

"Rebellion? Does not your king have the strength to deal with an army of rebels? And to recall the army that fought abroad? ”

Appis then asked.

"I don't know about that, General. This is a secret at the rank of military officer and above, and we ordinary soldiers cannot know about it. ”

The old man prostrate on the ground and whispered.

"Okay. You're free now. ”

"Klein, give him ten dinars and let him go."

Although he could not find a specific answer, Apis believed what the ordinary soldier said, and he knew it at best. This kind of state affairs is not known to everyone, even the commander of the regiment may not know the truth, let alone an ordinary militiaman.

The other Parthian soldiers, however, were not so lucky, and were all sold into slavery.

…………

Two months later, in the dead of winter, Apis returned to Rome with a series of victories. However, it could not be considered a triumph, because little Crassus died in a foreign land. There was no jubilant triumph, only a solemn and solemn funeral, however, even a funeral could only be symbolic, because little Crassus was simply gone. The body that had been doused with molten iron was completely melted. The great city of Rome welcomed home these warriors who had been away for a whole year with a heavy snowfall.

"Rest in peace, brother, though you die in battle, your soul will live forever. You and your spirit will live on. For the sake of Rome, for you, I swear, will complete your unfinished business. I swear that I will lead the Roman legions to conquer the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon. Rest in peace, brother, you are the pride of Rome. ”

In front of the temple of Jupiter on Capitol Hill, Appis dressed in solemn gowns and presided over by the high priest to complete this solemn and mournful funeral. What was buried was nothing more than some weapons and wine glasses and other household items used by little Crassus during his lifetime. Several crows hovered over the temple, overlooking the funeral procession, from the top of Capitol Hill to the bottom of the mountain. Among them, there were the soldiers of Crassus the Younger, the men of Crassus the Younger, those who had received the favor of Crassus the Younger. Of course, there are also people who have been exploited and persecuted by the little Crassus family, hiding in the shadows and secretly rejoicing.

"Do you really believe that he is genuine? Mourning for the dead of little Crassus? ”

Several senators of the Senate stood not far away, watching the solemn funeral, muttering to themselves in the corner, discussing Appis's motives. As with the previous discussions between Machius and Quinnus, there are those who praise Appis for his affection and those who denigrate him.

"Do you think I'm going to trust an executioner? Little Crassus was a stupid fool who believed that Apis was his best comrade-in-arms, brother. We all know that after the defeat of Antony, there were only two de facto rulers of Rome, Apis and Crassus the Younger. Little Crassus almost took Apis's place many times, and anyone with a little brain will know that Apis has long wanted to do something to Little Crassus, but it was not the right time before. I didn't expect him to be so despicable as to borrow the hands of the Parthians and get rid of dissidents. ”

Councillor Sebondes said with indifference.

"I believe that I want to get rid of Crassus the Younger, but by the hands of the Parthians, I don't think this matter is enough, Apis has a hundred ways to seize the military power of the Crassus the Younger, and there is no need to bury the three legions in a foreign land, especially in the hands of the Parthians. Moreover, judging from this funeral, Appis still has some feelings for his brother. ”

Another senator, Ikuris, pursed his lips. Different people have different opinions about the death of Crassus Jr., but almost everyone believes that Appis is inseparable from the death of Cassus Jr. At least, it was Apis, who left Crassus the Younger in Syria, and if it weren't for that, Crassus the Younger would not have led an army to conquer Parthia after seeing the conquest of Egypt.