"Flaminius was imprisoned in a dungeon by Apis, and my men came back and said so. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info”

"That useless thing, Appis has left Gaul and gone deep into Germania, and as a result, such a seizure of power has failed. Flaminius is not yet strong, and I have told him to disband the legions that Appis left behind in Lugdurum directly. If this legion had been disbanded at that time, he would not have been captured in full view. ”

After the grand triumphal ceremony, Antony and his henchman Domitius went straight to the Villa Pompey, a lavish hilltop villa that is now Antony's private residence in Rome. Domitius followed Antony step by step like a servant, and told in detail about the process of Flaminius's seizure of power, because this plan was originally ordered by Antony, planned by himself, and finally let Flamini carry it out. Domitius was worried that Antony would be angry and punish himself for the failure of the plan, but Antony had been celebrating the victory in Greece for several days, and seemed to have taken the failure of the conspiracy a little lightly. Crucially, after defeating Brutus, Antony seemed to have found a new direction and a new purpose, and Gaul, it seems, is no longer so important to this proud victor.

But Flamini feared that the disbandment of the legions would be condemned by public opinion, and the three legions that Appis had left behind in Gaul were to maintain stability in Gaul and to prevent the invasion of other Germanic tribes from the south. Coupled with the strange disappearance of Apis, the people have long benefited from the arrival of the barbarians conquered by Apis, and it is expected that they will oppose Flaminius's disarmament moves. Flamini also wanted to stabilize the population, stabilize the situation, and then slowly solve the problem of the legion. ”

Domitius trembled and explained for Flaminius. However, Anthony doesn't seem to care much about this, and he sheds his heavy armor and changes to a light kunika in the service of his servants. I picked up the diluted wine on the table and drank it as a thirst-quenching drink.

"So he is not suitable for a general, and mercy to his subordinates will capsize himself."

Anthony blurted out with a smile.

So, what do we do next? Rome should not have two masters. ”

Seeing that the capture of Flaminius had little effect on Antony, Domitius boldly rose up and asked his "master" what to do next.

"Yes, it is true that there should not be two masters. I guess at this time, that hairy boy should be in his official residence, trying to divide the last wealth of the Republic with me. However, the options left to him are few and far between. ”

"How?"

Domitius asked complimentally.

"Brutus was killed by me, that is, the war was ended by me. Now that Greece has been occupied by my legions, and the soldiers have answered my call, my prestige in Greece is much higher than that of Octavian. The legions even wanted me to conquer Parthia and accomplish what Caesar had failed to accomplish. What does this mean? ”

"What does that mean?"

This meant that Octavian was not on his feet in Greece. This stunned young man will not be stupid enough to compete with me for Greece and Macedonia at this time. Then, with the high voice, it was easy for me to set foot in the East. The weak allies of Rome in the East were not worth mentioning, and as soon as the Roman army arrived, they would once again bow down. And Gaul and Britain were almost already the territory of Appis. If Octavian wanted to sign a peace agreement with me, the only thing he could fight for was Aphilia and Spain. Appis would certainly have quarreled with him over the Spanish issue. When the time comes, I can be the coordinator among them. to the benefit of both parties. ”

Anthony was half-reclining in a comfortable recliner, leisurely talking about his judgment on the next evolution of the situation. Although it is somewhat idealistic and optimistic, it does not lose the basis for judgment.

Just a week later, another conflict erupted over the right to rule Rome. As Cicero had predicted, Antony and Octavian summoned Appis in Rome and demanded that the trio hold a thorough negotiation in Rome in an attempt to divide up the vast Roman Republic. However, Appis refused to return to Rome, citing the Germanic barbarian threat as a concern.

To Antony's surprise, Octavian did not fight for any land in the East, but only demanded Italy and Spain, as well as a small amount of Africa. Antony, on the other hand, was content to take over the vast provinces of the East, including Asia Minor, Silesia, and Syria, which were tax-rich. The only inland sea (Mediterranean) that did not fall under Roman rule was Egypt......

Of course, Octavian, the youngest, was not without scheming, and he had his own calculations with the eldest, Antony. Antony had his eye on the revenues of the Roman provinces of the East, which he could hire and feed a large army of troops. Octavian, on the other hand, was interested in the quality of Italy's native soldiers, because in the East, most of the armies appeared in the form of mercenaries, and the quality of the troops was uneven. And in the West, in Rome itself, the tradition of citizen soldiers is still preserved. All the soldiers were selected from among the citizens of Rome, and the Romans had a strong sense of national glory and were usually able to unite and fight with all their might against foreign nations. In this way, the confrontation between Octavian and Antony essentially became a confrontation of quality and quantity.

In the north, Apis, on the other hand, was doing the same thing, giving citizenship to the young nobles of each Germanic tribe he conquered, and included them in the auxiliaries of the Roman legions. And give these Germans a good salary. It not only achieved moderate rule, but also invisibly took the hostages of each tribe in its own army. It should be known that as long as the nobles of a tribe do not rebel, his people will hardly make a big move. These Germanic nobles served in the Roman legions, and Apis had a reasonable reason to keep them in the army for a long time. As soon as the local tribes showed signs of rebellion, these people became hostages and bargaining chips for Appis.

Rome, on the other hand, can never be returned. Although it is a place of great wealth, it is also a den of tigers and wolves. Without a foundation, Apis knew that it would be dangerous for him to go back.