In early spring, the fleet of Apis and Lepida quietly reached the beach outside Apollo, a small town on the western coast of the Balkan Peninsula in Greece, under the cover of fog. www.biquge.info A group of seasick Roman soldiers staggered off the transport, and the whole beach, except for the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, was the sound of this messy landing. The soldiers stepped on the beach and went ashore in shallow water. The ships ran aground directly on the seashore. For Lepida and Apis had ordered that, once ashore, all the ships should be destroyed and the ships should be marched inland, and this war would be won and not lost......

A few days later, the legions of Lepida and Apis joined Caesar's army in the interior of Greece. However, after the confluence of the legions, things did not go as smoothly as Apis had hoped. Caesar looked tired, and Pompey was clearly much stronger than the chieftains of the Gallic barbarian tribes. After all, it was the great Roman general who conquered the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, and in military command, the two were on par.

"We must seize this port, so that the legions can be supplied from Rome and Sicily."

Caesar said, pointing his stick at a small dot on the map. There, Corinth, one of the most important ports in the entire Balkan Peninsula, is Corinth. Appis looked at the outline of the map, and felt a little twisted no matter how he looked at it. Because this is arguably the most accurate map of its time, there are actually many inaccuracies. The port of Corinth was originally located within an extremely narrow bay, but on this map, the bay is depicted as a trumpet-shaped bay, which is very different from the Greek terrain that Apis saw on the standard world map in later generations.

After two thousand years of wind and frost changes, the geographical environment of Greece cannot change so much, so the only explanation is that the Romans' mapping of geography could not be as accurate as modern times.

Looking at this military map, Appis couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Appis, your opinion? I'd like to hear your thoughts. Your idea of taking this port, it's actually a city, because the walls of Corinth protected it from land, and we can't take it from land. ”

Caesar saw the subtle change in Apis's expression and thought that Apis had some strange idea. So he asked simply and directly. Although his face was tired, his eyes were still bright.

"No, I don't really have any ideas. Caesar. It's just that I'm thinking that since this port is so important to Greece and a strategic port, then Pompey and the Senate will definitely guard this port with heavy troops. I mean, we might be able to split up a few legions to harass and raid their other cities and garrisons, so that they ignore our march routes and attract the attention of Pompey's Senate. ”

Apis, who really didn't have any better ideas, just said it casually.

"Yes, before I summoned you over, I had Fabius and Antony with two troops to harass the other cities and garrisons where Pompey's legions were stationed, but with little success. Pompey was a cunning man. He is not easy to deceive, so, more often than not, we fight him and can only choose hard battles. What was done against the Gauls was no longer effective against Pompey. ”

Caesar said, looking pained. Obviously, before the arrival of Apis and Lepida in Greece, it was estimated that Caesar had lost several times in the battle with Pompey, at least not dominantly. Even the Gallic legions were experienced and tenacious. But commanding another Roman legion to fight Caesar was Gnaeus Pompey, who was considered by all Romans to be the greatest general of the Roman Republic before Caesar's conquest of Gaul.

"Then here we are, in this strait, to fight them in a decisive battle. My landing brought with me an abundance of supplies and forage, enough for us to build a large fleet in two months. Go and take this port. ”

Lebida swore and said. Caesar's expression, however, did not soothe much, and he looked at the confident Lepida, and said to Lepida—

"No, not two months. It's half a month. We must secretly build a fleet within half a month. Then, at the height of Pompey's laxity, go and attack the port of Corinth. Pompey, we can't underestimate him. Antony and Fabius's harassment was only temporary. When Pompey and the noble generals of the Senate discovered that the main force of our army was not in the legions of Antony and Fabius, they would be the first to intensify the defense of the port of Corinth. At that time, if we want to storm this city, this port, it will be more difficult. ”

"So Caesar, you plan to build a fleet and surprise Corinth during Antony's bewitchment of Pompey? Capture the city and the port? ”

Crassus Jr. then asked.

"Yes."

Caesar's answer was unequivocal, and Apis could hardly be negotiable in this answer. Caesar made a decision that no one could change.

"But it will not be possible to create a decent fleet in half a month."

Lepida's question is probably everyone's question as well. Caesar's ideas are ingenious, but in many cases, they are also incomprehensible.

"Have all the soldiers take off their armor and go to the nearby forest to cut down trees, and then hand them over to the shipbuilders to help them build this fleet. In this half month, all military routine training was canceled. ”

Faced with everyone's questioning eyes, Caesar replied with a face as blue as iron.

Two days later, outside the base camp of the legions, Appis saw a scene in full swing, tens of thousands of Roman legionnaires, marching into the forest under harsh military orders, and when they came out, huge piles of timber had filled the open space outside the barracks. Here, the Gulf of Corinth is very close. It's just not close enough for the enemy to find out. The shipwrights even worked overnight to build the ships that the commanders had behed.

They built a fleet in the cold early spring, but they were almost naked, doing high-intensity handling, like a group of mules, working hard. And on the battlefield, like a group of bloodthirsty monsters, they show no mercy to the enemy.

The small ship was put together improvised, and then a ballista, a scorpion cannon, and a catapult were installed, and on the deck, in the hull, except for the difference in the principle of power and the raw materials used to compose the ship, the appearance was almost the same as that of the later large European gunboats. Of course, the watertight compartments "designed" by Apis were once again installed on these Caesar's ships. (To be continued.) )