"Fellow citizens, citizens of Rome, I am Appis. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 infoCommander of the Northern Army. But you need not be afraid, because I am not here today to conquer or enslave anyone, but to take back my glory, to take back the power that belongs to me, the power that all of us Roman civilians should have! ”

The intricacies of the war in Gaul were as muddy as muddy water, and Octavian's five elite regiments were mixed and trapped in the depths. At this time, in the spring, Apis led three elite legions of Roman citizen soldiers across the Alps to the vast fertile fields of northern Italy, southern Gaul. He also gave an impassioned mobilization speech to the citizens of the towns he passed.

"What power do we deserve? Survive the power! The power of the land, the power of the money! Yes, we need land to feed ourselves, to feed our families, to worship our ancestors. And the right to get rich! We obtain abundant agricultural products through our own hard work, which is originally a divine right given to us by the gods. And now, the few great nobles of Rome have illegally occupied our land, they have seized the most fertile fields in Italy, and they have used the slaves we have fought so hard to plough for them, and then the heroes of the state, the warriors of the bloody battle, have been driven out of their homes, and they have occupied the land that is rightfully ours with our booty, and they are lavish in their magnificent villas. What an abominable act. ”

In a small town in northern Italy, Appis stood on a high foundation stone and spoke loudly.

"So, will you give us back the land? I heard that you are a reformer in the North. ”

In the audience, a civilian with a disheveled hair mustered up his courage and asked loudly.

"Yes. I will. That's why I'm here today. Perhaps I am a demon, a devil covered in blood. Yes, I know that's what Octavian advertised. But, today, as you see, I, Abys, am nothing but an ordinary man, an ordinary man, a Roman of flesh and blood like you. My heart bleeds when I see that after the war the common people of Rome are starving, the injustice of the wealth of society, the powerful aristocrats holding most of the wealth of our time, and you can only live without food, my heart bleeds. So, I swore in front of Jupiter that I would change this in this life. So, in the north, in Gaul, in my dominion, I initiated the reform of the new Agrarian Law. Octavian, on the other hand, prevents you from emigrating. So, that's the second reason I'm here. I want to return to you the divine rights that originally belonged to the citizens of Rome, who had the right to freedom of immigration! ”

Facing the questioning gazes of the civilians in the audience, Appis continued to shout. This time, people began to stand up and answer their call. A group of young people could no longer hold back the anger in their hearts, raised their angry right hands, shouted loudly, and immediately expressed their willingness to follow Appis, the general and reformer who arrived from the north. The atmosphere gradually became lively.

However, words of support are not enough, what Apis needs is actual action and response. Then, under the expectant gaze of all, Apis raised his right hand and continued-

"Brothers, sisters, after today, I will leave here and go south, to negotiate with Octavian, and I am determined to change the status and face of this world. But I don't think Octavian will agree, will not agree to this negotiation. Otherwise, he would not need to list me as an enemy of Rome. And I, too, are prepared for the worst, when we, the young heir, are not willing to support my reforms, will you be willing to follow me and join me, with the sword in your hand, with blood and courage, to reclaim our sacred power! ”

"Appis! Appis! ”

As soon as the speech fell, the masses were boiling, and the civilians were boiling. For Roman commoners who had lived in remote areas of oppression and poverty all their lives, hearing such a powerful speech was undoubtedly heart-wrenching. When a person is so poor that he has nothing but life and hope left, he has nothing to fear. In this way, Appis recruited hundreds of radical Roman indignant youths in this small town in northern Gaul.

……

"Wonderful presentation. But Appis, do you really plan to use these people to attack Aletion? It was the northern gateway to Rome, the gateway to Italy. Inside was Octavian's proudest Sixth Legion. These people have no combat experience, and when the time comes, they will only become cannon fodder, and maybe the legion will also affect their morale due to their rout. ”

Apis stepped down from the podium and shook hands and even hugged the civilians like stars, who were then separated by Apis' personal guards. Levius leaned in and asked. From his anxious expression, Appis knew that the young commander was actually unsure of this operation. And Appis also knew that it was time for him to develop a military team.

"Why not? Levius. You are my best buddy and officer, so today I will tell you my true thoughts anyway. ”

Appiston paused, and then said solemnly—

"Levius, you must know that there are thousands of situations that may arise on the battlefield, and it is impossible for the enemy to act exactly according to our plan. Therefore, before we set out on the expedition, we must prepare multiple sets of plans. In this battle, I have prepared for this battle with many hands, and in the first case, Octavian values our presence on the Italian frontier and transfers Agrippa back to the Italian mainland, then we will abandon the siege and turn against Agrippa's elite troops. On Italian soil, defeat him. In the second case, if Octavian believed that his northern defence could hold off our attack and not transfer Agrippa back to Italy, then we would have exhausted all our strength to attack Aretine. Take the city. In the third scenario, Octavian personally led his army and transferred Agrippa back to Italy, and the two of them worked together to encircle us. However, this is almost unlikely, for Agrippa is now in Gaul, suffering from little Crassus, and it will take at least a little more than a month to get out of the Gallic battlefield and get here, by which time Aletine has already been defeated by me, and even my legions have already been under the city of Rome. ”

"But why are you so confident that we can take the Aletion as the bridgehead of Italy?"

Even though Apis spoke confidently, Levius was still a little uneasy.

"We're going to take that city! Because we have no way back. Have you forgotten? My friend, we have run out of food when we cross the Alps. If we lose, we won't be able to climb that mountain again. In other words, there is no way back. Only forward. Only by advancing and killing the enemy in blood can the soldiers have the possibility and hope of survival. In such a desperate situation, the strongest combat effectiveness of the fighters can be revealed. My brother, do you remember what I told you long before you crossed the Alps? We have to take a risk to have any hope of winning. In the face of Octavian's strong military power, there was no advantage and no hope in a hard encounter. ”

Apis spoke, revealing his weather-beaten eyes, but growing wiser.