"Today, soldiers, I have very sad news to tell you. The news was heavy and indignant, and when I heard it, I felt like the whole world was collapsing. Mars was laughing at my weakness, but I had to accept it. The great general of the Roman Republic, Marcus. On his way to Parthia, Crassus was killed by the Parthians in the desert. ”

With four legions, they rushed all the way to the death, and in the end, they still failed to reach the desert, and heard the news of the defeat and death of Crassus Jr. Standing on the podium, as soon as Appis finished speaking, the soldiers in the square were in an uproar. This news is undoubtedly explosive for the Roman world, and everyone knows that the current Rome, except for Appis, has the most power and wealth, and it is Crassus the Younger. The son of the richest man in Rome used his funds to support Apis all the way to the war, but now, the tragic news of his death in a foreign land suddenly came, which was shocking.

In the face of the chattering crowd, Apis raised his right hand and signaled everyone to be quiet, he still had something to say.

"Brothers, Marcus. Crassus was my best friend, he was my lifelong companion, we fought together, we worked together, and in the most difficult times, we slept in a bed, shared a bedding, ate raw food, and drank the foul water of the river. Yes, he and I are almost comrades-in-arms who share life and death. However, reality hit me mercilessly and made me feel painful......"

In front of the legion, Appis gave an emotional speech, and from time to time choked up and shed a few tears of sadness, which made the soldiers in the audience empathize, especially those subordinates of little Crassus before his death, and they were even more grief-stricken. The scene was heavy and sad, as if it were a mourning party.

However, as Appis changed his tone on stage, the whole atmosphere began to be angry again.

"Soldiers, it was the Parthians who killed our great general, the Roman consul. They made Marcus. Crassus died without dignity, and they doused him with boiling hot molten iron. This is the most painful torture for people. Only the most barbarous people would do such cruel things. It made me indignant. If Marcus says. The death of Crassus grieves me, and the Parthians do evil to him. A surge of blood surged through me, and Jupiter told me that I had to fight for Marcus. Crassus's revenge is a trampling on human dignity, an insult and irony to the Roman Republic. Our country, unable to accept the fact of two fiascos. In the same way, the glory of the Roman legions is not to be defiled. ”

"I had planned to take everyone back to Rome after the conquest of Egypt and enjoy the unprecedented triumphal ceremony, but now it seems that I have no intention of preparing for the so-called triumphal ceremony. I really can't imagine that while I sat in the golden chariot and received the adoration and praise of the Roman people, the Parthians were in the East, laughing at our timidity. What will this look like? Oh no, that would be the greatest torture for me. ”

When Appis finished speaking, the audience fell silent. They were shocked by the news of Crassus Jr.'s death and moved by Appis's soulful speech. Indeed, more than ten years ago, the Battle of Kalai buried the seven legions of the Republic in the desert. Twenty years later, the Parthians have once again annihilated three Roman legions. This is a real disgrace to Rome. Everyone can also feel what Apis said, in the case of such a big defeat, who still has the heart to return home and hold the so-called triumphal ceremony? While your compatriots are still alive, you are enjoying flowers and wine in the capital, which is not what the Romans should do.

"Revenge!"

The soldiers shouted.

The scene became more and more enthusiastic, like a burning ocean, and the frenzy spread among the crowd. The inability to return home and enjoy the triumphal ceremony was attributed to the wickedness and squalor of the Parthians. And the men of Crassus Jr., with great grief and indignation, shouted to avenge their commander.

Then, Appis raised his right hand again, signaling for everyone to be quiet. He was going to give the most important speech.

"Brothers, I believe that you are in the same mood as me at this moment. We want revenge, we want to bloody the Parthian villages and towns. Capture Marcus's killer and cut him with a thousand cuts. He deprived us of a beloved general, and he deprived me of a respected brother. However, we must be calm and not reckless. Tomorrow, I will lead you on a campaign to regain our lost dignity. But we will not be able to go further into the East, because winter is coming, and you have not experienced the desert winter, it is an extreme cold, and we will not be able to cross the desert, and we will have to wait until next year before we can continue our march into the heart of Parthia. ”

On the stage, Appis's tone tended to be calm and rationally analyzed. Fearing that the Legion would be demoralized once the Parthian army in Syria was defeated, and wanted to cross the desert like Crassus the Younger, Apis gave these fanatical soldiers a precautionary shot. Wars cannot be won by high morale and brute force alone.

And the soldiers agreed with silence.

Three days later, Apis recruited more auxiliary archers, and with his four main legions, he continued to advance along the Roman military route. Their destination was clear: the eastern part of Syria, which had been occupied by the Parthians. This rich land has never been occupied by foreigners for a hundred years. The Parthian invasion was undoubtedly to the point where the Romans could not bear it. If it had not been for the civil war, many Romans believed that Parthia was not their opponent at all.

However, despite the high voice of the populace and the morale of the legions, Appis was cautious. Along the way, gather intelligence on Syria and inquire about all of Sulena's activities there.

"Maxim, Klein, you know that I will consult with you about anything. The present situation is that after the Parthians have captured Olupius and Steiner, they have not continued their march. I suspect that the tall walls of Damascus are holding back the continued invasion of this army. Sulena marched straight with the Parthian army, but with the speed of their march, it was impossible to carry the siege weapons necessary for the siege, and an army dominated by cavalry could not conquer a large city like Damascus. So, when we arrived in Syria, that city was our best base. Don't rush to attack, play steady. Now the situation is that the Parthians have plundered the grain and supplies of these two cities in order to survive the winter, and we have to do more than defeat this barbaric army and their commander. Also, we need to re-sow grain and grain into the land. In the long run, it is easy to defeat the Parthian army in front of you, but it is difficult to completely conquer the Parthians. At this time, the Parthians plundered the wealth and food of the local people, and it was the best time for us to build up the hearts and minds of the people, and I bought grain and grain from Egypt with my own money and gave them to the local people. to gain the support of the civilian population. In the future, our expedition to Parthia will require the whole of the East as a large rear, including Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt. The support of these places will provide us with enough food and grass for our expedition to Parthia, and even temporary troops. ”

As he was about to reach the Syrian border, Apis gathered his men and said.