136. Choice
"Great chief, the Romans are retreating, they are withdrawing from our territory. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info”
The patriarch of the Berovachians, Viralx, stood up and read aloud.
In early spring, when the snow had just melted, Caesar was leading eight Roman legions on a difficult march through the land of Gaul. On the side of the Tribal Anti-Roman League, many of the patriarchs were sitting with Vicintoli to celebrate the final victory of the nearly eight-year war in advance.
"I know."
But in the tribal tent, the celebrations of the Berovacchi did not give Vicintoli a hint of excitement or joy. Even, there was a little more sorrow and uneasiness on his face.
"You are wise, I should have believed you, it was you who led us and defeated the Romans, and now, we only need to be in the big tent, continue to wait for them to run out of food, and we can win this war. I have ordered my own men to hide from the large forces of the Romans. Caesar and his herd of Roman pigs will soon starve to death in our land. ”
Seeing that Vicintoli did not continue to speak, the Patriarch of the Berovachians continued to shout, as if to remind the Grand Leader of the Tribal Alliance—we have won this war, why are you still here with a sad face?
And there is a reason for Vicintoli's apprehension. In fact, as the leader of the anti-Roman alliance in Gaul, Vicintoli knew that the Roman legions were defeated because the various tribes of Gaul were united, united under their leadership, with unified tactics, and all had a common enemy, Rome. But in essence, the current Gallic anti-Roman alliance is still an organization, it is not a regime, that is, once the war is over, the leaders of these tribes will still bring their own people back to their own territory to live, and once the alliance collapses, the whole Gaul will return to its previous state, and the tribes will fight each other for their own interests, and once Caesar successfully returns to Rome, he will have the opportunity to rest his army, recruit more legions, and be more prepared, It is not known whether Gaul will have the opportunity to organize such a large anti-Roman organization again.
So, while everyone was excited and celebrating the withdrawal of the Romans, Vicintoli, the leader of the tribal alliance, was alone in sorrow. He wondered if he was going to make a bold move, so that the largest army in the history of Gaul would face Caesar head-on? Even if the Roman legion is so powerful, perhaps the whole of Gaul will only have such a chance to have a close battle with the Roman legion, and when Caesar returns to Rome, this huge coalition of Gallic tribes may fall apart at any time.
"Brothers, fathers, we need a victory."
Vicintoli stood up from his throne as a great chieftain and suddenly shouted to everyone present.
"Cheers! Great Chief, you have achieved victory, and we are cheering for you. ”
The other patriarch of the Gallic tribe below raised his glass and responded enthusiastically, and at the same time, the atmosphere of joy and joy resounded in the field.
"No, what I'm saying is that we need a real victory, a bloody victory, that we want to kill the Romans in our territory, let their blood flow on our land, and even make Caesar never return to Rome!"
Seeing the numb expressions of all the Gallic patriarchs at the scene, Vicintoli couldn't help but raise his voice and speak out.
His call quickly attracted the attention of the audience, and everyone put down their glasses and looked at him in amazement, at the great tribal leader named Vicintoli.
"Why? We have defeated the Romans, and they are withdrawing from our lands. Great chief, you know, on the frontal battlefield, we can't beat the Romans. It was you, who single-handedly used scorched earth tactics to drive the Roman legions to death, and now, we just need to wait for them to run out of food and starve to death in our territory, and there is no need to take such a huge risk to face those Romans. ”
After a brief silence, the Elvetian patriarch Nikulas stepped forward and questioned Vicintoli's decision.
"We did not defeat the Romans, we just drove them out of our territory, but, one day, they will come back again, Caesar is not a docile mare, he is a sinister wolf, once Caesar returns to Rome alive, he will not be reconciled to the defeat he has suffered in our land today. He will once again assemble a large army and invade our homeland again when we are unprepared. When the time comes, the tide of war will be more tragic than it is now, and at any time before. Because he came with vengeance. Therefore, we must not allow Caesar to leave our land smoothly, at least, we must defeat Caesar's Roman army, so that Caesar will not be able to organize such a large army in a short time. In that way, our people, our fathers, and our children will be truly safe. ”
In the great hall of tribal elders, the voice of Vicintoli resounded in every corner, and he called on the Gauls to rise up and fight, and for the eternal stability of their homeland, he called on all Gauls to fight a final decisive battle with Caesar's Roman legions, and to destroy these Roman soldiers in Gaul.
And there is indeed some truth in his words......
The elders of the tribes, the chiefs began to doubt. They were chattering in the hall as they had been when they had come in with a noisy about the imminent retreat of the Romans. The whole tribal tent was once again in a bustle.
……
The capital of the Berovacchians, when the Gallic anti-Roman alliance held a large military conference, Caesar did ask the legions to begin to withdraw. Spring was supposed to be the best time for the legions to fight abroad, but this year, here the Roman legions were like a strong bull, crashing into a pile of fluffy cotton wool, and the Gauls' guerrilla warfare and scorched earth tactics made Caesar's legions exhausted but not able to fight. The food supply had been depleted, and Caesar had only one week left to allow the legions to return to Rome.
As the army walked across the vast land, looking back at the road it had walked, Appis was full of emotion - maybe this is a different history? Maybe the historical Battle of Alesia didn't happen here? Perhaps, Caesar has really reached a dead end today, or maybe Gaul was like this, and was not conquered by Rome in the end? At this moment, too many thoughts rushed into Appis's mind. Where the epic war would eventually go, Apis saw only a blank gray in his eyes. Dark clouds, impenetrable to the sun, hung over the Roman legions. (To be continued.) )