Mountains, endless mountains, and after climbing over numerous plateaus and mountains, the army finally saw the kingdom of Ameni built on top of the plateau. The royal city is so magnificent, like the White City in a magical world, surrounded by walls, the main city is slightly higher than the outer walls, the bazaar is in the innermost layer of the city, the wealth is well protected, and the periphery is residential areas and military installations. The whole city is like a huge white fortress. Gorgeous and functional. It was designed and built for Hannibal, the god of war after the defeat of the year, but after looking at the terrain around the kingdom, Appis sighed, no wonder the country could not develop. Without vast plains and fertile soil, it would be difficult for an aspiring king to expand his territory. There are also various small nations and even tribes scattered around.

Walking into the royal city, there is a grand and solemn welcome ceremony, the capital street dressed as a triumphal avenue, crowded with commoners and nobles, melon-eating masses are organized, or shouting slogans, or praising the good name of Appis. Flowers covered the roads through which the army passed. Let the Roman soldiers under Apis be complacent. They have been away for so long, and they have not had time to experience a triumphant ceremony at home, but in a foreign country, they feel the feeling of being worshipped, although this worship carries a bit of hypocrisy and flattery. But it was enough to satisfy the vanity of the soldiers.

Of course, Appis himself was quite sober. Why do Armenians do this? Why did the king of Armenia do this? There was only one purpose, to curry favor with the new masters of Rome.

"They welcomed me, but they feared me even more."

Sitting on his warhorse, Apis turned to Klein and said.

"Don't worry so much, brother, enjoy yourself here, Antony's defeat and capture are only a matter of time, even Armenia has surrendered to us, where can Anthony go."

Klein was very pleased with the welcome ceremony, and sat on horseback with a sense of contentment.

…………

"The greatest general of Rome, Your Excellency Apis, on behalf of the Armenian people, I welcome you."

At the end of the "Triumphal Boulevard" is the palace of the Armenian king Artavazd. Historically, this ambitious king had always wanted to get rid of Roman rule, and when Apis first saw him, he felt a scheming and bad look. But since you're here to visit, don't put on a show of looking down on each other.

Appis dismounted, accompanied by King Artawazd, into his lavish palace. Of course, no matter how luxurious this palace is, it is not as good as Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria. Egypt's strength is not comparable to that of Armenia.

"Well, then, King Artavazd, you need not be so worried, although I have conquered most of the eastern shore of the sea and united Rome again, I am not a tyrant. You don't need to be so afraid, so worried about what I will do to you. In fact, my request is simple: as long as you refuse to support Antony, as long as you refuse to support Antony, that the taxes paid to Rome remain unchanged, that your relations with Rome remain unchanged, and that you will send troops to support my operations when war comes, then there is no need to worry that I will turn Armenia into a Roman province. But in the foreground, if there is any war in the future, and Armenia refuses to send troops to Rome for fear of the great strength of its neighbors, and provides us with auxiliary legions, then, when this war is over, I, Apis, will surely lead a large army and set foot on your territory. ”

At the banquet, Apis was too lazy to go around the bend with the king and these ministers, and the diplomacy of great powers was so domineering. After some talking, the audience was silent, and no one dared to say anything against this Roman general who was in full swing. Appis and the other officers ignored the awkward atmosphere on the field, and then grabbed the delicious fat and delicacies, and chewed and swallowed them in large gulps.

"Oh! Dear General Appis, thank you for your generous words. Rest assured, Antony, I have been cut off from the territory of Armenia, and in the future, if there is another war between Rome and Parthia, I, Artavazd, will stand firmly on your side. ”

Seeing that the atmosphere on the field was a little awkward, King Altawasd immediately explained tactfully to resolve this awkward atmosphere. The ministers around him looked at each other, forced a smile, and then moved the food on the plate.

"Not on my side, but on the side of Rome."

Appis added with a smile.

"Yes yes yes ......"

Altavazd replied awkwardly.

…………

When winter came, Apis enjoyed the treatment of an emperor in the small kingdoms around Armenia, and every day was a palace banquet, surrounded by exotic beauties, and he was so happy that he didn't want it. The defeated Mark Antony fled to the north, plundering the indigenous population in the Corchia region and establishing a colony. Let his soldiers become local landlords, sit on fertile land, and enslave the local residents. The nobles and elders of the tribe had no choice but to cooperate with him and manage the land together. Of course, the elders and nobles of the tribe knew in their hearts that one day, this invader must be driven out.

Domitius was ordered to stay in the area of Bithynia and Pontus, and to build several fortresses along the road to Pontus to prevent Apis from continuing north and east. Mercenaries are still a major part of Antony's army, but without the rule of the rich provinces, Antony does not know how long his money will last.

"Urenas, when I ruled the eastern part of the Republic, I had endless wealth and status, and now, with a series of defeats and the betrayal of my relatives, there are now few people left who follow me, and my money is almost spent, and I can still hire a decent army, but as time goes on, I fear that my financial resources will not be able to sustain it."

On the balcony of the attic, Anthony leaned against the railing and said bitterly. Urynas, the captain of the guard, was now acting as a listener, patiently listening to the once invincible Roman man nagging him here.

"Urynas, do you have a wife and children? I've been ignoring this issue for so long. ”

Anthony asked suddenly.

"Yes, but they're all gone. My three daughters died in the war, my wife betrayed me, and I don't know where I am now. ”

Captain Urenas replied. There was no expression on his resolute face, which looked much stronger than Anthony's. Anthony glanced at the scars on his arm, which were even more than his own, and it seemed that the faithful captain had been injured a lot on the battlefield in order to protect himself.

"Oh, it's sad. But don't worry, Urrenas, we are about to win, I have sent to the northern steppes to recruit the Sarmat cavalry, and I promise you that next spring we will go out again, and I will first conquer all the kingdoms and tribes around us, and then, with my army, fight again against the nouveau riche of Appis, and retake Asia Minor, Silesia, and Pergamon......"

"General......

Before Antony could finish his sentence, Urrenas stopped him.

"General, don't say these unrealistic things again, I know that in our lifetimes, I'm afraid we will never return to Rome."

Urrinas said grimly.

Subordinates against their superiors? This annoyed Anthony for a while, but then thought about it, and only the captain of the escort dared to tell the truth among his subordinates. He just wanted to boost the morale of the soldiers, but now it seems that everyone knows the cruelty of reality.

"Then why are you following me, Captain Urynas?"

Anthony asked.

"Because I swore allegiance to you, General. The Romans could not break their oath. ”

Urrinas replied.

At this moment, Anthony suddenly felt a pang in his heart, yes, the Romans...... It had been too long since he had lost that name, and since he had traveled to Alexandria, too many Roman factors had kept moving away from him. Loyal, fearless, and proud, these qualities were squandered in a long period of enjoyment, and warriors like Urrenas gradually distanced themselves from them.